A-Hoe Trade Me Series. 8. 5370 British Museum, London, UK.

item details

NameA-Hoe Trade Me Series. 8. 5370 British Museum, London, UK.

ProductionSteve Gibbs; artist; 20 December 2016; Gisborne

Classificationacrylic painting

Materialsacrylic paint, art paper

Materials SummaryAcrylic paint [Maimeri – Ultramarine Blue] and pencil on Montval Aquarelle Archival Paper

Techniquesacrylic painting

DimensionsImage: 590mm (width), 450mm (height)

Registration NumberME024263

Credit linePurchased 2017

Overview

8. 5370 British Museum, London, UK. is a painting from the A-Hoe Trade Me series.

This artwork was painted by artist Steve Gibbs (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Kahungunu), in 2016 as part of his research into the provenance of hoe whakairo (carved paddles).

A-hoe Trade Me series
The "A-hoe Trade Me series" consists of thirteen paintings. These paintings were based on the kōwhaiwhai design work that adorns 23 hoe whakairo that have been located in various museum collections around the world. These hoe whakairo have strong design characteristics that indicate they originated in Tūranganui a Kiwa.

These hoe were collected by Tahitian navigator Tupaia and Captain James Cook while the Endeavour visited Whareongaonga, south of Tūranganui a Kiwa in 1769. Whareongaonga, is a natural deep sea port south of Te Kurī a Pawa and was a thriving settlement at the time of Cooks arrival. It was from this point that a number of waka embarked to encounter, and eventually trade with the crew of the Endeavour as she lay off shore. Among the items traded were a large number of hoe whakairo and there is a very strong possibility that these were crafted by the people who occupied this region in the 1760s.

During his PhD research into hoe whakairo, artist Steve Gibbs made drawings of 18 of the 23 extant paddle blades housed in museums in New Zealand, Great Britain, Continental Europe, and the United States of America. Some of these hoe whakairo were adorned with complex kōwhaiwhai patterning, and while the original hoe were painted with red kokowai (ochre), Steve chose to paint his interpretations in blue to reflect that these unique patterns come from a relationship with the ocean. While all of the hoe whakairo were painted and carved, many of the painted designs are now no longer visible.

These hoe whakairo and their pattern work are representative of the creativity and mastery of ocean navigation by Māori and Pacific people. The painted design systems evident on the paddle blades are the oldest examples of what we now know as kōwhaiwhai, prevalent on the heke (rafters) of most modern Māori wharenui (meeting-houses). These paintings represent a tangible form of visual and design repatriation and ongoing connection.

Eleven works in the series are titled by the venues where the original hoe whakairo currently reside: