Buck Nin is an important Aotearoa New Zealand painter of the twentieth century. He grew up in Te Tai Tokerau Northland, with whakapapa to Guangzhou, China through his father and Horowhenua through his mother. In 1992 Nin spoke about what inspired his work: “The land is our heritage. It is the basis from which all creativity stems in Māoridom. For me it is a very strong element for its sustenance, its spiritual reality and the enlightenment it brings to my work.” In this work, Nin paints the Mamaku Ranges, which lie to the west of Lake Rotorua. Laid over the abstracted landforms are Nin’s interpretations of the carved prow and stern of Te Winika, the nearly 200-year-old waka taua. In the 1930s, Te Winika became a symbol of the Kīngitanga and the waka renaissance initiated by Te Puea Herangi.

whakapapa ~ genealogy, lineage, ancestry

waka ~ taua war canoe

Kīngitanga ~ the King Movement which developed in the 1850s to stop the loss of land to colonists, maintain law and order and promote traditional values and culturewaka canoe

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