Last week Haumanu hosted the first national wānanga since the official reforming of the ‘collective’ at Pūrekireki marae in Pīrongia. By all accounts the wānanga was a success and stands as a new milestone for Haumanu in pursuit of providing a solid foundation for the revitalising of taonga pūoro and the normalisation of these of taonga pūoro in today’s context.
Wiremu Sarich, of Ngā Puhi and Te Rarawa descent, is a leading Māori educator in the Far North, working with young and old alike to create inclusive spaces for exploring Ngā Taonga Takaro and Taonga Puoro. He chats with Horomono Horo about his playful work – a result of his carefree childhood growing up in South Auckland and connection to Te Ao Måori through his whanau.
Tāmihana is joined by multi-disciplinary artist, storyteller and tāonga pūoro practitioner, Te Kahureremoa Taumata, nō Ngāti Kahungunu me Ngāti Tuwharetoa. With a love for sound and strong a connection to te taiao, Te Kahureremoa chats about cultural influences, her passion for sharing mātauranga through kōrero pūrākau, and her own creative musical endeavours with Taonga Puoro.
For Jo’el Komene, his taonga puoro are a connection to the soul. A musician and carver with whakapapa to Nga Puhi, Tainui and Tapuika, he tells of his toi Māori journey; beginning with learning whakairo which fuelled a passion for Taonga Puoro, then furthering his practice with a masters in the kōauau. Now working in education and sharing his mātauranga, Jo’el is a key player in the revitalisation of te ao toi Māori.
As a renowned craftsman and an enthusiast, Brian Flintoff shares his memories and thoughts around the use, and proliferation of taonga puoro. He also briefly shares the story of coming up with the name “Haumanu”.
Horo speak with practitioner and cultural consultant Kelly Kahukiwa nō Te Arawa Iwi about entering the world of music through jazz musician Stu Buchanan. Starting with the saxophone and then focusing on Taonga Puoro, Kelly shares insights into his mahi of building bridges of cultural understanding through his practise of Mā Oriori. He gives back to the Ngāhere with the Oro and the Whē of puoro and helps to obtain positive outcomes for Ngāi Māori.
Ruby Solly shares her thoughts and feelings about Taonga Puoro with Awhina Tamarapa. The pair cover some of the more memorable experiences in Taonga Puoro, influential people they’ve worked with and interesting ways that traditional Māori music can be fused with Western traditional instruments. Play this Oro Podcast Episode now.
Tāmihana has a kōrero with Isaac Te Awa – a curator of Mātauranga Māori at Te Papa Museum, who is early in his Taonga Puoro journey. They kōrero about Isaac’s introduction to the practise, initiatives he is involved in for invigorating the taonga puoro community in Wellington and how preserving the precious taonga at the museum influences his personal growth and approach to mahi toi.
James Webster chats with writer Awhina Tamarapa about her mahi as a professional museum curator. They also discuss the intracacies of looking after precious Taonga Puoro collections.