The whakapapa of trees

Matua Wiremu Puke (Ngāti Wairere, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāpuhi) shares mātauranga whakairo (carving knowledge) with tauira. In this video, we hear about the importance for carvers to understand and respect the mana of Tāne Māhuta when utilising these valuable resources for carving. 

Transcript

Wiremu Puke (Ngāti Wairere, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāpuhi)

We classify trees according to whakapapa. Tēina, tuākana.

When I became a carver, I had to learn the whakapapa of trees. It’s important for a carver to know what kind of trees will work well.

There are certain woods that are suited for weapons more than kauri and tōtara are. The harder the wood, the better it is for the weapons. You have trees that were used for the traditional method of creating fire. For me as a carver, the whakapapa of trees is being able to pay homage to those particular rituals of the tapu when going into the forest.

Carving was a very sacred profession, it was tapu. Do you know the concept of tapu? Explain to me what it means to you.

Layton

Kind of like a place where you’re not allowed and forbidden sort of.

Wiremu Puke

That’s bang on, and that has always been the understanding of all your ancestors going right back. That hasn’t changed in terms of understanding, that’s really good.

Tapu is a very sacred thing. One had to be very careful about how you approach those matters of tapu.

And I have seen things as a carver in my lifetime that defy my logical reasoning.

Often when I run wānanga in the forest, I don’t take food in there with me, I’ll leave all my items out in the car. And even when I am carving something that relates to Ngāti Wairere, I take the chips of my carving and bury it under the oldest tree there. That’s acknowledging the mana of Tāne Māhuta.

AcknowledgementsWiremu Puke (Ngāti Wairere, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāpuhi) 
Students: Layton, Micheal, Mikayla and Alyssa. Endeavour School, Kirikiriroa
Hukanui Marae, Ngāti Wairere
Special thanks to Dante Bonica, mentor of Wiremu
Coloured engraving of warrior with tewhatewha, Chambers, Thomas, 1724?-1789. Parkinson, Sydney, 1745-1771. Ref: PUBL-0037-15. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand
Wooden taiaha with pāua inlay, © The Trustees of the British Museum
Patu rakau (wooden hand club), maker unknown. Gift of Mrs Louisa Kronfeld, 1939. © The copyright holder. Te Papa (ME008740) 
Fire making painting (1910), Gottfried Lindauer. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Mr H E Partridge, 1915
Wiremu carving from Tohunga Whakairo (Master Carver), courtesy of filmmaker Sebastian Lowe
Additional carving footage property of Wiremu Puke, 2014

This content was developed as part of the project 'Te ohomauri o Wairere – the empowering life force of Wairere', funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment through its Unlocking Curious Minds initiative.