Makers unknown Te Rā [the sail] (detail) c. 1770–1800. Harakeke, kererū, kāhu and kākā feathers, dog skin. On loan from the Trustees of the British Museum. © Whakaarahia anō te rā kaihau Te Rā Project. Photo: Cultural Heritage Imaging
Makers unknown Te Rā [the sail] (detail) c. 1770–1800. Harakeke, kererū, kāhu and kākā feathers, dog skin. On loan from the Trustees of the British Museum. © Whakaarahia anō te rā kaihau Te Rā Project. Photo: Cultural Heritage Imaging
Makers unknown Te Rā [the sail] (detail) c. 1770–1800. Harakeke, kererū, kāhu and kākā feathers, dog skin. On loan from the Trustees of the British Museum. © Whakaarahia anō te rā kaihau Te Rā Project. Photo: Cultural Heritage Imaging
This exhibition is now closed
Kaua mā te koroingo noa iho, engari mā te werawera rānō
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū welcomes Te Rā, the only known customary Māori sail in existence. Woven from harakeke more than 200 years ago, and held in storage for many years at the British Museum, the homecoming of this taonga is a deeply significant moment for all New Zealanders. Revealing complex weaving technologies, Te Rā is a symbol of Māori skill, innovation and adaptation, and the importance of voyaging in Māori culture. This exhibition presents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to grow their understanding of this important part of our nation’s cultural heritage.
A partnership project between Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum.
*The subtitle of this exhibition is a quote by Te Rangihīroa (Sir Peter Buck), gifted by Jamie Tuuta (Ngāti Mutunga). It can be interpreted in English as "Success cannot be attained by resting on the doings of our ancestors, but is achieved by hard work, sustained effort and unyielding courage."
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Date:
8 July – 23 October 2023 -
Location:
Touring Gallery A -
Curator:
Chloe Cull -
Exhibition number:
1148 -
In association with
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Strategic Partners
From the Store
Related
film
Panel Discussion: Vikings of the Sunrise
Using the writing of Te Rangihīroa Sir Peter Buck as a starting point to talk about Te Rā, Anna-Marie White chairs a discussion with Ranui Ngarimu and Jamie Tuuta, who explore what this taonga tuku iho tells us about ourselves and our future.
This event took place on the opening weekend of Te Rā: The Māori Sail at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.
*The title for this talk is taken from the 1938 book Vikings of the Sunrise by Te Rangihīroa (Sir Peter Buck).
film
Panel Discussion: On the Trail of the Rising Sun
Robert Gabel leads this panel of kaiwhakatere / expert navigators including Hoturoa Kerr, Martin Bercic, Stanley Conrad, Joe Conrad, Hemi Eruera and Jack Thatcher as they discuss the history of Polynesian navigation and the extraordinary knowledge and skill used by their tūpuna to voyage across the Pacific Ocean.
This event took place on the opening weekend of Te Rā: The Māori Sail at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.
*The title for this talk is taken from the 1938 book Vikings of the Sunrise by Te Rangihīroa (Sir Peter Buck).
film
Panel Discussion: Revitalising Cultural Knowledge
Panellists Ranui Ngarimu, Dr Catherine Smith and Dr Donna Campbell discuss the project to bring Te Rā to Aotearoa. Find out more about this awe-inspiring taonga and the Royal Society Te Apārangi Marsden funded research project that led to this exhibition.
This event took place on the opening weekend of Te Rā: The Māori Sail at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.
Exhibition
Te Puna Waiora: The Distinguished Weavers of Te Kāhui Whiritoi
3 April 2022
Celebrating the great mana of the senior Māori weavers of Aotearoa New Zealand, and the complexity and beauty of their work.
Director's Foreword
Director's Foreword
Welcome to the spring edition of Bulletin. As I write, Te Rā: The Māori Sail has been with us at Te Puna o Waiwhetū for three weeks, and its presence continues to fill our building and hearts with a sense of warmth and wonder. It has been truly an honour to spend time with Te Rā, whose arrival and welcome was an incredibly important moment for Aotearoa. I felt very privileged to have experienced some of the excitement, joy and knowledge shared by so many during the wānanga and the opening weekend.
Commentary
Te Rā at Christchurch Art Gallery
On 8 July 2023, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū opened Te Rā: The Māori Sail to the public. The opening was a celebratory event to which manuhiri travelled from around Aotearoa, excited by the opportunity to view the only known customary Māori sail in existence. The development of the exhibition required the knowledge and skills of numerous experts from the Gallery team and elsewhere in Aotearoa, Australia and England. This photo-essay documents the work that went into the installation, and some of the people that made it happen.
Commentary
Ka Oho te Taonga, Ka Oho te Tangata
In 2014, a team of University of Waikato researchers led by Linda Tuhiwai Smith CNZM travelled to Norway to present their research at the New Zealand Studies Association Conference, held at the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo. The group included myself and Aroha Mitchell (researchers, artists and kairaranga), Rangi Mataamua (researcher and scholar of Māori astronomy) and Haki Tuaupiki (researcher, navigator/waka sailor).
Linda knew of my fascination with Te Rā and encouraged me to organise a visit to the British Museum while we were overseas. Emails flew back and forth between Aotearoa and London, and fortunately the times aligned and we arranged to spend two days at the museum documenting the construction of, and reflecting on the function of, this taonga.
Commentary
Looking After Your Taonga
How do you care for textile-based artworks if you have them at home? Bulletin asked some experts for their tips and advice.
Director's Foreword
Director's Foreword
A warm welcome to B.212, the winter edition of Te Puna o Waiwhetū Christchurch Art Gallery’s Bulletin. As Matariki reappears in our night sky in July, here in Ōtautahi we will celebrate the arrival of Te Rā, the only customary woven Māori sail known to exist. Building on the success of our exhibition Te Puna Waiora: The Distinguished Weavers of Te Kāhui Whiritoi in 2021, it is an incredible privilege for us to share one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most significant taonga with our audiences.
Interview
The More we Learn, The Less We Know
In July 2023 Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū welcomes Te Rā. This taonga from the collection of the British Museum will be on public display in Ōtautahi for three months before travelling to Auckland Museum and then returning to London. The homecoming of this taonga is a deeply significant moment. In March, pouarataki curator Māori Chloe Cull, was joined by Ranui Ngarimu ONZM (Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Ngāti Mutunga) and Dr Catherine Smith, two members of the research group that has led the project to bring Te Rā to Aotearoa, to talk about what this homecoming means to them.