Manu Aute (Māori tapa kite) titled ‘Manu Iti’

item details

NameManu Aute (Māori tapa kite) titled ‘Manu Iti’

ProductionMs Nikau Hindin; artist; Oct 2023 - May 2024; New Zealand

Classificationtextiles, kites

Materialstapa, kōkōwai, kareao, bulrush, muka (fibre)

Materials SummaryAute (paper mulberry), Kōkōwai (red ocher), kareao (supplejack), raupō (bulrush), muka (New Zealand flax fiber).

Techniquespainting

DimensionsOverall: 220 (width), 240 (length)

Registration NumberFE013757

Credit lineCommissioned 2023

Overview

This manu aute (Māori tapa kite) was produced by Nikau Hindin (Aotearoa – Ngāi Tūpoto, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) as a part of the 'Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina project.

Expressions from the past

Although aute or the tapa tree was brought to Aotearoa by Māori from the Pacific, it did not thrive in the cooler climate. Because of its rarity, stories of bark cloth are rare. Manu Aute are one of the most prominent expressions of aute within Māori pūrakau or narratives. Manu Iti represents onamata or ancient times. It honours the role manu aute have played for Nikau as a guiding force in her journey of reclaiming mātauranga around aute and bringing it from the past into the present. This manu aute was one of the first of 80 created by Nikau as a part of a commission by Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in 2023 as a part of the exhibition Manu Aute: Rere Runga Rawa: Ascend to the Higher Realms (2022–23).