The Health of Māori Heritage Arts 2009 reviews the ‘health’ of 10 heritage artforms ranging from Toi Whakairo (carving) and oral arts to Whare Maire (martial arts) and Traditional Māori Games.
Purpose
The Health of Māori Heritage Arts 2009 research project provides an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of heritage arts practice in Aotearoa.
This research was identified as a priority in Creative New Zealand’s Strategic Plan for 2007–2010 to help with the targeting of its policy, support and funding towards developing and maintaining Māori heritage arts.
The 2009 project is the first of an ongoing series of three-yearly research engagements which Creative New Zealand will use to monitor the health of Māori heritage arts.
The project will assist Creative New Zealand to assess the effect of its current support and funding interventions, and shape how it responds to the changing needs of Māori heritage arts in the future.
Methodology
The methodology used was Mai ngawhatu a nga- Tohunga – Through the eyes of the experts.
The project focused on experts and senior active practitioners and their perceptions, opinions and descriptions of the health of Māori heritage arts. This approach was used because the health of heritage arts is difficult to gauge and the measures for determining that health are many and varied.
Qualitative information was gathered from in-depth interviews and a survey that included key organisations which help to support, deliver and revitalise Māori heritage arts.
Given the scope, diversity and spread of Māori heritage arts across the country, it was important to establish parameters for this project: the number of artforms examined; the number of senior active practitioners interviewed; and the scope of the face-to-face interviews.
Interviews with senior practitioners (face-to-face or by phone) ranged across multiple artforms and sometimes several visits were required before all the necessary information could be gathered.
It should be noted that many of those interviewed considered heritage artforms to be inter-related and consequently questioned the specific artform categories used for the purposes of this research.
Heritage artforms
The health of ten heritage artforms was researched:
• Toi Whakairo (carving)
• Ko-whaiwhai (rafter decoration),
Tukutuku (wall decoration)
• Whare Pora (weaving, textiles, basketry)
• Whaiko-rero, Karanga, and Whakapapa recitation (Oral Arts)
• Waiata, Mo-teatea and Pao (traditional song and chant composition), Taonga Pu-oro (traditional instruments)
• Ta- Moko (body modification and tattoo)
• Ta-rai Waka (canoe design and construction, voyaging, navigation)
• Haka (composition, teaching and performance)
• Whare Maire (Tu-matauenga – martial arts)
• Traditional Māori Games (Whakaropiropi, Mu Torere, Mahi Whai etc)
Themes
Four themes provided the framework for the interviews and survey questions:
Retention – Are heritage arts and traditions widely practiced and retained in the iwi/hapu- in the form of senior active practitioners who are recognised in their community?
Access – Are senior active practitioners evenly distributed throughout the country and accessible to Māori communities?
Intergenerational Learning – Is there sustained engagement between senior active practitioners and students to ensure the continuity of traditions and the transfer of knowledge between generations?
Agency Support – Are there high levels of internal or external support for the senior active practitioners that will help to ensure the other themes can be accomplished (in the form of marae/hapu-/iwi initiatives, central or regional funding and support, formal and informal teaching institutions)?
Key Results
Summary
The project found that the present and general status of Māori heritage arts was diverse.
While most Māori heritage artforms are in reasonable to good health there are two exceptions, Ta-rai Waka and Traditional Māori Games. Their poor health was due to various factors, including low numbers of both senior active practitioners and emerging practitioners engaged in these artforms.
Some artforms were diagnosed as being in reasonable to good health but closer examination of the specialist disciplines within each category revealed exceptions. For example, while the broad category of Toi Whakairo is in good health, the specialist disciplines of Whakairo pounamu and Whakairo hue may require support for their long term retention.
What contributes to a healthy artform?
The research project found that heritage artforms flourish when:
• there is ongoing learning betweensenior active practitioners and new learners/emerging practitioners
• practitioners acquire cultural knowledge, traditions and skills that form the foundations of the artform
• there are sufficient resources to carry out the practice and these are accessible and affordable
• Māori communities participate in the learning and exhibit an appreciation of the artform
• there is good community support for the artform, in the context of te reo Māori, tikanga, marae, whānau, hapu, and iwi
• the practitioners’ life is focused on the practice of the artform.
What are the strengths of Māori heritage artforms?
The research found that most artforms are generally in good health. In particular Whare Pora (weaving/ textiles) and Whakairo ra-kau (carving in wood) had high numbers of learners and a good population of skilled teachers.
The role of formal learning institutions such as wānanga Māori and polytechnics in teaching qualifications for some heritage artforms was a very positive influence.
These institutions provide steady employment for practitioners to teach and develop their skills, and a platform for emerging practitioners to learn. There was also ample goodwill and willingness among the ranks of expert practitioners to continue to teach.
Access to an extensive learning infrastructure had a positive impact on artforms such was Whare Pora and Whakairo and those artforms that are centred on te reo. The preferred learning environment was one where the learner was immersed in their own cultural and tribal context, however wānanga and polytechnics tend to be pan-tribal but still operate successfully.
Iwi and hapu have a strong desire to maintain and preserve their own individual culture and heritage arts practices and ensure that learning reflects regional distinctions.
Artforms with a high national profile such as Haka and Ta- Moko (with the exception of Uhi – chiselled moko) were considered healthy and attracted many new learners and practitioners.
What are the weaknesses of Māori heritage artforms?
The research found consistent weaknesses within two heritage artforms, and a number of sub-genres of the main artforms are in fragile health. Ta-rai Waka is an artform in peril, in particular ocean voyaging and navigation. There are a number of reasons for this, but the primary one is the dependence on the key tohunga in this field, a Kaumātua with limited availability. Experts interviewed described the difficulty in gaining comprehensive training and learning time with him.
The other artform under serious threat is Traditional Māori Games, which has an obscure profile, and a lack of skilled practitioners and learners.
An example of a sub-genre in poor health is the contrast between the good health and popularity of Ta- Moko compared to the rare customary practice of Uhi – chiselled moko, which has been superseded by the popular use of a tattoo gun.
Many senior practitioners consider that ‘a healthy community equals a healthy artform’. Without people to teach and learn, and without resources to enable teaching and learning,
artforms were in peril of becoming irrelevant, neglected or forgotten.
Other major areas of weakness are:
• the lack of natural resources for several of the artforms
• the diminishing number of senior practitioners and teachers and the pressures of responding to demand as they age
• the need for potential learners of heritage arts to be exposed to customary practices and engage with practitioners from a much earlier age
• the need for more national and, possibly, international gatherings for heritage arts experts where they are given a forum to gather and share knowledge
• a low awareness of funding sources available for Māori communities and practitioners, and the barriers to engaging with the agencies.