Te Mahi Kete

Download or read book Kete Whakairo written by Margaret Rose Ngawaka and published by Trafford Publishing. This book was released on 2013 with total page 57 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Margaret Rose Ngawaka- Iwi (Tribe)-Ngati Porou, Kahungunu, and Rongomaiwahine I live on a 148-acre offshore island on the west side of Great Barrier Island, Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, where my husband and I have raised our seven children. Living here so remote has the challenge of not being able to attend courses of learning on the mainland (New Zealand). But I continue to strive for knowledge and understanding and seek out whatever opportunities come my way. I learned raranga in 1998, but it has been in my blood since birth. My journey with harakeke is entwined with my whakapapa (family history). When I learned to plait, I found an aunt I have never met who was an expert weaver of her time. When I learned piupiu (traditional Maori kilt), I was given a photo of my great-grandmother wearing her piupiu and learned she was a matriarch weaver of her time. This confirmed also that she was giving me permission to carry on with this treasured skill that she once excelled in. When I learned taniko, it was my mother's sister, Aunt Hiria Okeroa Waaka, who taught me. My aunt Hiria has fond memories as a young girl being chosen to go pick kiekie and harakeke with her grandmother (my great-grandmother). This reminds me of my duty and responsibility to teach raranga and inspire hope for future mokopuna-grandchildren/posterity. There are many women more experienced and skilled than I who could have written this step-by-step book. I feel so blessed to have seen this opportunity and ran with it. I always say, "If it's meant to be-it will be."