Dr. Cliff Whiting was born inland from Te Kaha on the East Coast. He is of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui ancestry. He has been referred to as visionary, innovator, tōhunga, teacher, scholar and master artist due to his prolific output in wood carving, sculpture and construction, bone and stone carving, oil and watercolour, ink drawing, printmaking, fibre-weaving and photography. Among his best known works is Te Hono ki Hawaiki at Rongomaraeroa, the contemporary marae inside Te Papa in Wellington. An image of this work appears on the Maui page in this website.
This mural by Cliff Whiting tells the story of the Creation as envisaged by the Maori. It concentrates on Tawhirimatea the god of winds, storms, thunder lightning and rain.
At the top right of the panel is a reference to the separation of Rangi and Papa, the primeval parents. Rangi is indicated by the blue of the sky and Papa by the red ochre of the earth.
Angry at his brothers for separating their parents, Tawhirimatea joins has father in the sky and sends rain and storms to destroy the forests of Tane.
A major player in this drama is Tamanuitera the sun at the top left. In yellow and orange it radiates its energy throughout the cosmos. The pale moon also exerts its own gravitational influence.
Tawhirimata appears to be attempting to rein in his out of control offspring. In his left hand he grasps Tonga, the south wind and his left foot is stomping on Rawhiti, the East wind. With his right hand and right foot he tries to control Uru the west wind and Raro the north wind.
Directly surrounding Tawhirimatea himself are a series of Koru symbols representing Tane's forests, while the red background represents Ruamoko, the God of Earthquakes and volcanoes
David Brechin-Smith's 'How the Kiwi lost his Wings'
About David Brechin-Smith
David Brechin-Smith is a screen production tutor at Whitireia Community Polytechnic. He is also a producer with Te Wuruhi | Lean Dog, a group who creates interpretive signs for open spaces.
Previously he worked as a screenwriter on Lowdown Dirty Criminals and Doubt: the Scott Watson Case. He was also Senior Writer for Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
He was nominated for Best Children’ programme for ‘He Paki Taonga i a Māui’ which we will be looking at here. In 2005 and 2006 he won best script awards for The Insiders Guide to Happiness, episode 6 and The Insiders Guide to Love. He was nominated for numerous other awards.
He Paki Taonga i a Maui
Transcript
The story starts in the mind of a young man imagining himself sailing his waka across the ocean in turn being Tangaroa, Papa, Rangi and finally settling on being Maui who, once he introduces himself by telling us of his deeds including fishing up the North Island, begins to tell the tale of the loss of his wings by the Kiwi. Mentally transforming himself into a bird and sensing the beauty of flight through the air he focuses on a cloak made from the feathers of a Kiwi, a bird who once upon a time was able to fly. With the sound of flapping wings and the call of other birds he glides through the air beneath the sun and the blue sky. Along with him are his friends the Tui who then had no white feathers on his throat, the Pukeko who lived on dry land and the Pipiwharauroa who was obsessed with his nest. In their flight they hear the voice of Tane resonating through the forest and, obeying the call of their ancestor and guardian, they descend to the ground to meet him.
Tane is sad, his forest is being eaten up by insects and he needs the help of his children the birds. Whoever volunteers must stay on the forest floor and eat the insects. Tane first approaches Tui but Tui is afraid in case there are monsters on the forest floor and so he runs away. Disappointed, Tane next approaches Pukeko but Pukeko likes dry land and does not want to live on the wet forest floor with mud oozing between his toes. With a frightened scream he runs away. Tane turns next to Pipiwharauroa but he is too busy with the building and caring of his nest to care about what Tane is asking for, and also runs away.
Finally Tane asks for Kiwi’s help to save the forest. Kiwi looks up at the sky where he loved to fly above the treetops. He looks at the sun that he would never see again and he looks at his friends that he would not ever see either. He is afraid but he knows that the forest must be saved. Sadly he agrees to help Tane keep his forest clean. The air is now filled with tension and the power of magic. Kiwi’s wings get smaller, his legs grow stumpy and stronger and his beak becomes longer. He is now a nocturnal bird destined to spend his nights foraging for insects and thus keeping the forests of Tane clean.
Tane was angry with the other birds. In his anger he gave Tui white feathers on his breast to indicate that he is a coward. He made the Pukeko live in the swamps where he would get mud oozing through his toes and he deprived the Pipiwharauroa of his nest so he would have to lay his eggs in the nests of other birds.
But Tane loved Kiwi who spent his nights keeping his forests clear of insects.
And our storyteller in his Maui persona now tells us that the Kiwi is still the favourite bird of all the people of Aotearoa and then breaks into the beginning of the national anthem after which he impersonates the Kiwi searching for insects in the forest as the video concludes.
