Tatau Pounamu, literally meaning greenstone door, is a metaphor for lasting peace. It is accompanied by a recording of Kāi Tahu kaumātua Riki Te Mairaki Pitama (1950–2018) talking about Waikākahi pā near the settlements of Wairewa and Taumutu on the shores of Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere, and an inter-tribal feud that embroiled Kāi Tahu from Kaikōura in the north to Murihiku Southland. Reflecting on the violent history of loss and dislocation for Māori from Horomaka Banks Peninsula, and on contemporary inter-whānau quarrels, Areta Wilkinson’s response was this object of peace. Her works therefore become taoka tuku iho – touchstones for memory – activated with the kōrero of her tūpuna.

Kāi Tahu ~ tribal group of much of Te Waipounamu South Island

kaumātua ~ elder, person of status

pā ~ fortified village

whānau ~ family, extended family, family group

kōrero ~ narrative, discourse, stories

tūpuna ~ ancestors

He Kapuka Oneone – A Handful of Soil (from August 2024)