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This is the second annual Hui & Huilli event.
The idea was developed and inspired by connections between Maori and Irish
cultures and builds on the world wide phenomena called St Patrick’s Day.
National identity is a central theme to this concept – some 70 percent of New
Zealanders are said to have Irish lineage.
The potential was recognised for this event to grow
into an annual “iconic event” within New Zealand and
beyond and thus to contribute to the long-term
sustainable economic development of Māori in the
region.
On
Sunday March 16th, the venue was the Waiohiki
Creative Arts Village with a day long public programme
of dance and performances, a Maori Celtic Arts
Exhibition and Auction, and, in the evening, a
presentation of “Whakapapa of a Whiteman” by storyteller
and musician Michael O’Donnell.
The
venue for the 17th itself was the Napier Golf
Club’s Waiohiki Links. Waiohiki is accurately described
as the ‘home of Maori Golf’. Up until the mid 1960’s
golf was a regular part of the sports life of the Maori
community of Waiohiki. The widening of gaps in household
incomes between Maori and other New Zealanders and the
impact of the economic restructuring of the 1980’s meant
that paying fees to the golf club slipped to the bottom
of the household budget priorities of local whanau.
Consequently, despite a 120 year history of engagement,
the upcoming generation of local Maori have little
knowledge or experience of this most international of
sports.
The notion was to begin to reverse the trend by
utilising the fun associated with the 2008 Hui & Huilli
Irish Maori Golf Tournament to refire interest and to
establish a platform for the revival of interest in the
game of golf by the young Maori people of Waiohiki.
The Irish Maori Golf Tournament was a new feature to
the Hui & Huilli event. The proposal was to enter a team
made up of young Maori from Waiohiki. A number of
interested young Maori from Waiohiki were recruited.
They joined a number of other golfers at the Waiohiki
Golf Course to take part in our inaugural St Patrick’s
Day Maori Celtic Golf Tournament.
The ‘People’s Day
Celebrations’
portion kicked off on the morning of Sunday the 16th
of March. Everyone on site gathered together at 10.00am
for mihimihi and karakia. Mike O’Donnell spoke and
presented Hugh Tareha with a fired stone that carried an
ancient Gaelic rune, similar to the koru. A marquee and
stage had been set up for performances and the whole
site was well provided for with extra loos, picnic
tables and chairs and pergola for shelter. Over 400
people both local, regional and out of towners relished
the performances of the Hawke’s Bay Irish Dancers,
Music, Ngati Kahungunu Waiata, and Storytelling.
Mary Kippenberger
thrilled the audience of young and old with interactive
storytelling, requiring the audience to become
participants in the story themselves, successfully
reconnecting young people with oral traditions of old.
Young Dancers reaped
the rewards of performing to a hospitable audience who
were captivated by the spirit, sight and sound of Irish
dancing of old. Their accompanying band ‘Last One’s
Out’, took their turn at centre stage at various stages
throughout the performance.
Glen Kastrinos played
flutes and whistles accompanied by Kjelsty on the drum.
Rex Kapua contributed
both contemporary and traditional Waiata to capture the
audience’s attention, educating listeners with the
beauty of his voice and words.
All of the performers
benefited from the exposure with several from the crowd
of onlookers asking for their details for future events.
The audience was captivated by an assortment of sights
and sounds that broadened their understanding and idea
of what Irish and Maori performances entailed. All who
were present reaped the rewards of the many hours of
free entertainment, including groups of ‘Special Needs
Youth’ whose caregivers reported back to organizers of
their delight in being able to come and be part of the
celebrations. They were calm and happy to sit for hours
watching and listening, to their caregivers’ delight.
Tinopai and the Purple
Caravan provided Kai for the occasion with hungi for all
who were hungry – selling out of all they had bought
with them.
Te Aro Hou School sold
juicies, moosies and icecreams, and painted moko to
fundraise for their School raising a considerable amount
of money.
The general public was
given invaluable cultural education opportunities from
exposure to music, song, dance and art from different
cultures. Free entry into this ‘People’s Day’ event,
‘Art Auction’ and ‘art viewing’ means that these
culturally educational events were available to
participants from all backgrounds including those from
lower economic groups and people who would not normally
be exposed to culture from these sources.
A children’s Maori Celtic art competition was conducted with children of all ages sending
in artwork and creating art at a kiosk set up
specifically for the purpose, at the Hui & Huilli
Celebrations. Prizes were gifted from Humanities and the
EIT School of Visual Art & Design, with local artist and
teacher Heather Turner contributing 2 opportunities for
children to take part in an 8 week course of childrens
art tutoring. An entire class form Nelson Park School
took up the challenge and sent in a magnificent
collection of art created titled ‘A Fusion of Cultures’.
Toi Maori was conducted by Wiki Turner who demonstrated
to the public Maori Kite Making and weaving. The public
were then able to create using natural materials on
hand.
Mike O’Donnell
Storyteller
gifted the audience with his spiritual journey named
‘Whakapapa of a White Man’. This was performed in the
Woodturners’ auditorium. O’Donnell provided a simple
set, a thin white linen sheet decorated with koru type
runes hung in front of a thicker sheet of linen – the
‘old people’s cloth’. He projected images of clayworks
and scenes from the New Zealand bush onto the front
sheet whilst he stood behind the sheet as he talked or
played the flute. The auditorium was lit only by candles
and the light from the projected images so that after a
short while the sonorous voice of the storyteller became
the dominant feature. O’Donnell moved from his New
Zealand experiences with Maori (mainly in the Hauraki
area) and the learnings shared with him by kaumatua and
kuia and his experiences walking around the land of his
ancestors in Ireland and meeting the elders there. He
talked of the similar semiotics, the icons and symbols
that seem to be shared between the Polynesian and the
Gael. He pointed out similar fables and myths, similar
language and words, and replicate values and spiritual
paradigms. It was evocative, moving, and touched many at
the heart of their soul.
The ‘St Patrick’s Day Maori Celtic Golf
Tournament’
started several weeks prior to the event with interested
young Maori Golfers becoming involved in an intensive
training camp with Tipuna Kurupo (‘Tipu’) Tareha, a
descendant of the original Kurupo Tareha, who with his
brother developed the Waiohiki Golf Links in the late
1890’s.
7 Maori youth joined
other golfers to play in the inaugural St Patrick’s Day
Maori Irish Tournament. The youth were filmed by Phil
Leishman’s camera crew from IMG to become a story on
‘Young Maori Golfers’ on TV. Kuia Hine Pene, Tipu Tareha
and Kadeen Bartlett. Kadeen is a 3 handicap player and
shows great potential. Maori Golf and Waiohiki in
particular will gain invaluable exposure. The need to
foster interest of the game amongst young Maori
themselves was also promoted. The young Maori who
participated have been given the opportunity to become
involved in something that could continue for the rest
of their lives.
The Maori Celtic Golf
Tournament
has successfully raised the profile of Maori Golf and
its connections to Waiohiki. The IMG TV programme being
made will raise awareness of young Maori involved in the
game today, hopefully aiding in it’s resurgence for the
future. The programme will provide invaluable exposure
for Waiohiki, Waiohiki Maori Golf and the entire Hui &
Huilli concept. The event was picked up by TV 1
Breakfast TV on the 18th.
As well as the
television coverage, Radio Watea profiled the events
that was in turn picked up and utilized by National
Radio in an extended form. Interviews were conducted
with key personnel and Hui & Huilli organizers.
Local Radio through
Radioworks, broadcast the events with a week long
advertising promotion and articles appeared in all
newspapers including Hawke’s Bay Today, the Dominion
Post and local press. All aspects of the Hui & Huilli
Event Schedule received invaluable promotion through our
local and National press.
The idea of the Hui &
Huilli is challenging, particularly in a conservative
provincial area such as Hawke’s Bay. Nevertheless, the
fact that Green Fire Islands, a major offering at the
International Festival of the Arts and at Womad that
involved Irish musicians and storytellers and leading
Maori musicians such as Whirimako Black, was staged and
given such acclaim tells us that we are on the right
track. What we are trying to do may take us five or so
years to lock in to the regional calendar. It has been a
worthwhile effort and the results, though not startling,
will suffice.
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