The Rising of Matariki.
For the Māori people, the night skies in June traditionally has huge
significance as the dawn of a new Māori year. The annual appearance of the seven
stars of ‘Matariki’, also known as the star cluster 'The Pleiades' in the constellation Tauris, or by its common name
'the seven sisters', signals a time for renewal,
reflection and celebration! This celebration is something unique to New
Zealand.
Each year New Zealand Post issues a set of postage stamps to mark this event. These stamps always feature some aspect of Maori culture. The 2014 Matariki issue was about the well known story of Papatūānuku and Ranginui. The set of six stamps show how six famous artists used this story to inspire their art.
The story of Papatūānuku and Ranginui.
As with many stories born from ancient folklore, there are different variations of the story of Papatūānuku and Ranginui. A widely known account tells that Ranginui, the Sky Father, and Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother, loved each other dearly and embraced so tightly that their sons were stuck in endless darkness between them.
Their sons knew something had to be done about this. Finally they decided to separate their parents so they could live in the light. One of their sons, Tāne, god of humankind and forest life, attempted this mighty feat while his brothers looked on. Standing on his hands he pushed up against Ranginui with all his might to force them apart.
The pain of the separation could clearly be seen as his brothers realised what a terrible thing they had done, but by then it was too late. Ranginui had been sent to live in the sky and Papatūānuku was sent below to live as the earth, creating Te Ao Mārama, the world of light. Their children the people lived in the space between them.
Now whenever it rains, the people know its their father Ranginui, weeping bitterly for their mother Papatūānuku, the one he loves, whom was torn from his embrace. Whenever the mist rises out of the earth they know its their mother crying for the one she loves.
Some other stamps showing this story.
50c - Ranginui, God of the Sky. $1.00 - Papatūānuku, Earth Mother.
40c - Ranginui raua ko Papatuanuku / The Legend of Rangi and Papa.
The embrace of Rangi (the sky father) and Papa (the earth mother) prior to
separation by their son Tāne.
$1.20 - Tane separates Rangi (Sky) and Papa (Earth).
It is said that Rangi and Papa were once two halves of a single entity but the gods decided to separate them. Several of their many children tried and failed. Eventually Tane, the Forest God parted heaven from the earth and today Rangi and Papa grieve ceaselessly for each other - hence the rain, the dew and soft mists that rise from the earth.
The Designs.
I like the Matariki stamps issued each year as they often have interesting designs. Researching them for this blog has been an interesting exercise that has taught me things about Maori cultural heritage I never knew.
While these stamps are attractive with bright vivid colours, one criticism I have of them is that they are impossible for an average person to understand without the designs being explained in some detail. Therefore I have decided to take each design and tell you something of its story and of the artist behind it.
80c – Cliff Whiting.
Te wehenga o Rangi rāua ko Papa.
Clifford Hamilton "Cliff" Whiting ONZ (born 6 May 1936) is a New Zealand Māori artist, heritage advocate and teacher. Whiting was born and raised in Te Kaha, New Zealand and is a member of the Te Whānau-ā-Apanui tribe. As well as being well known for his art works, Cliff Whiting has also been involved in restoration of marae buildings or establishing of important maraes around New Zealand, including the marae at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
His contribution to art and New Zealand's cultural heritage has been acknowledged as in 1998 he was awarded New Zealand's highest honour - the Order of New Zealand (ONZ). He has also received the Alan Highet Award for excellence in the arts in 1986 and was granted an Honorary Life Membership to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 2004.
Te wehenga o Rangi rāua ko Papa was a monumental work for its time, housed in the National Library. The image on the stamp shows the central figure of Tāne thrusting apart his parents in the inverted position by using his legs. This is only part of a much larger work that explores the Māori narrative on the creation of Te Ao Mārama, the world of light.
80c – Phil Mokaraka Berry.
Rangi and Papa.
Phil Mokaraka Berry has been producing Contemporary Maori
Art works for over ten years. His work consists of Maori myths and traditions
based on well known stories and beliefs. He has produced a large series on Maui
and his exploits and his final demise. Other works involve the connection
between Papatuanuku (mother earth) and Maori and the sacredness of our whenua
(land). He has also produced works on Kaitiaki (guardians), trying to capture
the Mauri (life force) and the guardianship role of them and the relationship
to their and our environments. His works are always evolving, sometimes
simplifying, sometimes complex. He uses the kowhaiwhai (maori designs)as a
symbol of being and celebrating being Maori and also linking back towards
his Whakapapa (heritage).
In this work, Rangi and Papa, Berry uses the design languages of Māori tattooing and the kaokao pattern from the traditions of other Māori artistic conventions of Tāniko and Tukutuku to add emphasis to the representation of Tāne separating his parents. This customary design symbolises the energy and strength needed to wrench the heavens from the earth.
$1.40 – Kura Te Waru Rewiri.
Te whakamamae o te wehenga.
Kura Te Waru Rewiri (born 1950) is a Maori painter. She has exhibited extensively in New Zealand and internationally since 1985. She experiments with techniques such as colour and layering to convey thoughts on the current trends of the Maori culture, both politically and socially.
Kura uses symbols and techniques from traditional Maori art and custom in her works, such as Kowhaiwhai patterns, weaving imagery, and Tā moko (tattoo) patterns. In many of her works, her brushstrokes emulate the motions found in carving and weaving. Kura's use of traditional Maori art combined with the techniques of contemporary art results in a contrast between new and old that has made her work distinctive and celebrated within New Zealand.
In the painting Te whakamamae o te wehenga we can see the triangular mask of Tāne that separates his parents, Rangi and Papa. The three siblings of Tāne are represented as pou (posts) and stand on the upper eyelid of their mother, aghast at the pain of the separation. The vessel in the sky has been prepared as the place where Rangi will dwell, forever separated from Papa; thus night and day are created.
$2.00 – Fred Graham.
The separation of Rangi and Papa.
Fred Graham is a Maori artist from New Zealand. He was educated in Hamilton, then he trained as a teacher, focussing on the arts. He worked as an art specialist in schools in the Rotorua and Northland districts of New Zealand, then taught art to teachers.
As a important figure in Māori art since the early 1960s, he has participated in most major exhibitions of contemporary Māori art, including “Te Waka Toi: Contemporary Māori Art,” which toured the United States. His paintings and sculptural works are many and varied, some dealing with controversial issues, such as the continuing loss of Māori land, although his central themes are inspired by Māori traditions and legends.
The work shown on this stamp, The separation of Rangi and Papa, is housed in the National Archives, which also houses Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Graham has applied the theme of the Rangi and Papa narrative to symbolise the role of the National Archives as an institution that seeks to enlighten people through the dissemination of knowledge. It is noteworthy that the relevance of the dual meaning of ‘marama’: light and knowledge is founded in this creation narrative.
$2.50 – Pauline Kahurangi Yearbury.
The children of Rangi and Papa.
Maori
artist, Pauline Kahurangi Yearbury (nee Blomfield) was accepted to Elam School
of Art at age 15. She began teaching there at 17. Talented and adventurous,
Pauline not only challenged male Maori artists traditional domain of working
with Maori legends and myths, she brought a new interpretation to them through
her stylised figures and vibrant colour palette. “Papa-tu-a-nuku” is a fine
example of this.
Pauline’s
work is part of the ‘new era’ of Maori art now known as Maori Modernism,
1950-70. Today, Yearbury is considered a significant Maori artist and is
well-known for her incised wood panel designs and book, “The Children of Rangi
and Papa, The Maori Story of Creation” (1976).
In this wood panel, The children of Rangi and Papa, Papa is seen clutching Rangi in a supportive embrace with the umbilical cord of her last child still present. This work by Yearbury is indicative of her visceral style and her clever use of line to project movement in her visual exploration of Māori narratives. Yearbury was lost to the Māori art world well before her contribution had been fully recognised.
$3.00 – Robert Jahnke.
The Ranginui doorway.
Primarily
a sculptor, Bob Jahnke is considered one of New Zealand’s leading contemporary
Maori artists. He works with a range of media including found objects, steel
and lead. Of Samoan-German-Irish-Maori heritage, his work is typically
based on political issues that face Maori people, the relationship between
Maori and European colonisers and the impact of Christianity on Maori culture.
The Ranginui doorway was commissioned for the Marae floor in Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand. It retracts upwards and layers the three levels of colour over the other panels. When the doorway is fully lifted, it represents the state of Te Po (darkness), and when fully closed it represents Te Ao Mārama.
The First Day Cover and Miniature Sheet.
This has been an interesting journey through the world of Maori art, a world I have never visited before. I have searched for and discovered six stories of six different artists. I am sure there are many more but these were the ones chosen to have their works presented on these stamps. I spent an hour in the Auckland where I turned the pages of Pauline Kahurangi Yearbury's book, The children of Rangi and Papa lost in her poems and illustrations.
I hope this post will open your eyes to something new and different too. That has been one of the delights of this blog for me, learning and discovering new things about my country New Zealand.
This post has been created with the help of:-
Technical information:-
Date of issue:
| 4 June 2014 |
|---|
Number of stamps:
| Six self-adhesive stamps |
|---|
Denominations:
| 80c (x2), $1.40, $2.00, $2.50 and $3.00 |
|---|
Stamps designed by:
| Rangi Kipa, Te Atiawa, Taranaki Tuturu |
|---|
Printer and process:
| Southern Colour Print Ltd by offset lithography |
|---|
Number of colours:
| Four process colours |
|---|
Stamp size and format:
| 40mm x 30mm (horizontal). Miniature Sheet: 150mm wide x 90mm high |
|---|
Paper type:
| Self-adhesive: Tullis Russell 210gsm PSA red phosphor stamp paper. Gummed miniature sheets: Tullis Russell 104gsm red phosphor gummed stamp paper |
|---|
Number of stamps per sheet:
| 25 |
|---|
Perforation:
| 13.33 x 13.60 (Miniature Sheet) |
|---|
Period of sale:
| Unless stocks are exhausted earlier, these stamps will remain on sale until 3 June 2015 |
|---|
It was good to see this post Allan.
ReplyDeleteI have been interested in Maori Myths and Legends. This one is a classic.
It looks like you did a lot of work finding the various artists too.
The idea of Tane separating his mother and father is truly a powerful concept, well worth exploring. I am pleased to see so many Maori artists have chosen to do so. Six different views, through six different eyes, this is an inspiring stamp issue. I am so glad that you took the time and effort to give it the attention it deserves.
Rajah.
Thanks Rajah
DeleteIt was good to find someone else who finds this interesting. As I said above, for me this was an interesting journey into a subject I knew nothing about. I had heard of this story and many of the other famous Maori stories but to take this into the world of art was something new.
Rajah if you are interested in reading more, I strongly recommend you get your hands on Pauline Kahurangi Yearbury's book. It was intended as a children's book but just the illustrations alone make it well worth it. Its tightly held by Auckland Libraries, it seems they have lost a few copies, but you can read it.
Allan.
A colourful and interesting set but like you said in your notes above Allan, I had trouble understanding it until it was explained to me. How many people would actually know what these stamps were showing.
DeleteI do see positive and negative sides to this though. First on the negative side - it is hard to understand and the stamps need a commentary to help carry their message. How many people will have access to this information or bother to read it. On a more positive note - this set is bright and colourful,l which I believe will attract people to learn more about Maori culture. If it does this then it will be a success.
Amanda.
Good points Amanda,
DeleteI didn't think of it that way. It would be positive if someone was to read about these stamps here and learn more about Maori culture in the process. I found it interesting so I hope others do to.
Allan.
Isn't it strange how the Maori people chose a time in the middle of New Zealand's winter for their New Year while here in the Northern Hemisphere they did the same by putting Christmas and New Year in the middle of winter.
DeleteIt is also interesting how 'Matariki' has become so popular as when I was growing up in Hamilton we never heard of it.
Amanda.
Yes Amanda, Matariki has only appeared on postage stamps since 2008 which reflects the growing awareness of this event among New Zealanders, particularly the Maori people. Like you, I grew up in New Zealand but never heard of it before then.
DeleteThanks for you comments and interest in my blog.
Allan