Creating the new whakairo

Meet the carvers

The new whakairo will be designed and created by a team of expert Māori carvers of Ngā Kohinga Whakairo o Hinemihi led by Colin Tihi.

Colin and many of the carving team members are direct descendants of the ancestress Hinemihi, her great great grandson and chief of Ngāti Hinemihi (People of Hinemihi) Āporo Wharekaniwha, who commissioned Hinemihi’s original whakairo, and Tene Waitere, one of the 19th-century master carvers who created them.

‘We’re very fortunate that within our family, our hapū, within our iwi, we have our ringatoi (artists), our creators of whakairo, who are actually direct descendents of this particular wharenui,’ says Colin. ‘That adds another level of essence through that close connection.’

A continuity of care

The new whakairo will not be the first time that Colin has gifted carvings to Clandon. In the 1990s Colin and fellow carving team member Robert Rika carved new whakairo for Hinemihi, to replace some that were stolen in Aotearoa.

The relationships that have been built by the partners over the years mean they are also uniquely placed to understand Hinemihi’s continuing history, including the journey Hinemihi made from Aotearoa and the experiences of her whānau, such as the Māori and Pasifika diaspora in the UK, local residents in Guildford and the National Trust.

By creating the new whakairo, Colin and the carving team will give new life to the new wharenui at Clandon, ensuring it is a place of meaningful connection for these communities for generations to come.

A new approach to whakairo

The new whakairo will be made in honour and recognition of Hinemihi’s whakairo on the wharenui in Te Wairoa, and carved to a similar size from tōtara wood native to Aotearoa.

‘We've created a new way of telling the story, and a new way of delivering the designs, to reiterate the message that we want to share for this new wharenui,’ says Colin. 'It’s our way of starting a new chapter in the modern world context.'

Tūpuna (ancestors) and the figurative language of whakairo

The tūpuna element is at the heart of a Māori wharenui. It is part of the mauri or essence of the wharenui.

An inherited value is passed down through the tūpuna, documenting a sense of purpose (aspirations, principles, values) to their descendants through the whakairo. Māori today are guided by the wisdom of their tūpuna, passed from one generation to the next through stories told in whakairo.

Creating whakairo for the new wharenui at Clandon is a unique situation because the wharenui will be used by more that one iwi. In this case, it's not appropriate to give ancestral names from an iwi to the whakairo, but it's still important to include the tūpuna element so essential to wharenui. The design of the new whakairo does this in a way that's safe, respectful and reflects the modern and future context of the Māori wharenui.

'The carvings in the wharenui are a figurative art form', Colin explains. 'They have a figurative language, and in our approach this allows us to create our own proverbial sayings that honour our past, present and future. These types of quotes, phrases, statements and proverbial sayings explain events, commemorations and descriptions of people’s feats, qualities and achievements.'

Jim Schuster gives an example of wharenui names, adding that ‘Some Wharenui carry a name like “he ao pai ki te tangata katoa”, which is “a good world to all men”. It then becomes a house that connects all the people that are around it and brings them together in a place where they can share, where they can talk and co-operate together. It becomes a place, a haven almost, for people who are away [from home].'

The meaning of Clandon’s new whakairo

Colin and the carvers are still in the process of designing and carving the new whakairo that will be mounted on the wharenui at Clandon, which imbues the spirit of a tūpuna in a new way.

The whakairo will be based on the following three overarching principles, as agreed through hui (discussions) with the Hinemihi Project partners and wider communities:

• Ngā Iwi o Te Motu – Aotearoa Pan-tribal Approach: The designs within the wharenui’s whakairo, tukutuku and kōwhaiwhai have historical value and the stories and memories they contain recognise all iwi and hapū of Aotearoa, and their respective uri (descendants) who reside in the United Kingdom.
• Ngā Tātai Hono o Te Ao – Connecting People, Families and the Environment: The designs recognise people, families and their environmental connections in the UK and Aotearoa.
• Ngā iwi o Te Ao – People of the World: The designs recognise multinational groups spanning from the UK, across the pacific islands of the world to Aotearoa, acknowledging the cultural connections between them.

Connection is key

The key theme that runs through all of these principles is that of connection, known to Māori as ‘Te Hono’. Colin says that throughout her journey, Hinemihi has continually brought people and whānau (communities or extended families) together and that the new whakairo on the new wharenui they will create can do the same.

‘I really think the blueprint for this idea was set forth by Hinemihi o te Ao Tawhito, it was her journey and the impact that she has made on all our people here in Aotearoa and the UK,’ says Colin. ‘Like the Onslow, Clandon and National Trust whānau. Like Ngāti Rānana (London Māori Club), who have been established since the 1950s, Maramara Tōtara and the Pasifika whānau. Like the Clandon Parish and the Guildford City communities, as well as the surrounding region of Surrey.

‘Just in that small area there's so many groupings of people, and communities of people, that now associate and connect to Hinemihi in one shape or form. That's the connection, that’s Te Hono.’