E Ngaa Uri Whakatupu

29 June 2014 - 28 July 2015

Gallery 7

Free entry

Weaving Legacies: Dame Rangimarie Hetet and Diggeress Te Kanawa

An extraordinary collection of traditional Maaori kaakahu (cloaks) and weaving from five generations of one family is now a major exhibition at Waikato Museum.

In the second chapter of this exhibition, the extraordinary Hetet and Te Kanawa collection is refreshed from January 2015 with a ‘new’ selection of around 40 cloaks and weavings. This ‘refresh’ enables visitors to experience the entire collection over the course of the exhibition.

E Ngaa Uri Whakatupu is a tribute to the life achievements of Dame Rangimarie Hetet (1892 – 1995) and her daughter Diggeress Te Kanawa (1920 -2009), (Ngaati Maniapoto, Ngaati Kinohaku) tohunga of mahi raranga whatu (traditional Maaori weaving experts).

These remarkable women are acknowledged as New Zealand’s finest traditional Maaori weavers. Their generosity of spirit and passion for the revival of Maaori women’s arts gave new life to traditional Maaori weaving in Aotearoa.

The Hetet and Te Kanawa collection comprises more than 75 individual pieces and this is the first time the collection can be seen in one exhibition. 

E Ngaa Uri Whakatupu also acknowledges other Maaori weavers, such as Emily Schuster and the role of the Maaori Women’s Welfare League and Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa (National Maaori Weavers' Collective).

Education programmes are available for this exhibition.

Image: Detail, Manaaki (cloak), Diggeress Rangituatahi Te Kanawa. Te Kanawa Collection, courtesy Te Kohika Te Kanawa.

Partners:

The Hetet and Te Kanawa whaanau

Note: Waikato Museum and Hamilton City Council use double vowels in te Reo to represent a long vowel sound as it is the preference of Waikato –Tainui.