26 research outputs found
Does Māori Art History Matter?
No full text" Does Māori Art History Matter?, by Deidre Brown, Ngarino Ellis and Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, outlines a methodological approach to their larger project : the writing of a Māori history of Māori art. Concerned to adopt a way of talking about Māori art's history that is in tune with that culture's particulartemporal rhythms, value systems and sense of community, the authors seek to develop a kind of art history that, as they put it, can allow 'to be hapū, iwi, Māori, and indigenous in the world.' " -- Back cover
Does Māori art history matter?
No full textThis essay, the edited text of a lecture presented by Deidre Brown and Ngarino Ellis and written by these two authors in collaboration with Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, outlines a methodological approach to their larger project: the writing of a Maori history of Maori art. In 2013 these three scholars began a three-year Marsden-funded project entitled 'Toi Te Mana: A History of Indigenous Art from Aotearoa New Zealand'. The present publication points towards that much larger study. Sadly, Jonathan Mane-Wheoki died as this text was being prepared; it stands as a tribute to his many years of work towards its ambitions
Te Puna: Maori art from Te Tai Tokerau Northland
No full textThis book documents customary and contemporary Maori art practice in the Taitokerau (Northland) region. Contributors include Chanel Clarke, Jonathan Mane-Wheoki and Toi Maihi as well as the editors.http://librarysearch.auckland.ac.nz/primo_library/libweb/action/display.do?fn=search&doc=uoa_voyager1712235&vid=UOA2_
Toitu te moko: Maintaining the Integrity of the Moko in the 19th Century and the Work of Gottfried Lindauer
No full textThis essay examines the ways in which the practice of moko changed over the 19th century as critical indicators of the endurance of Māori culture, from its use as signature on documents and land deeds in 1815 to being depicted by European portrait painters such as Gottfried Lindauer. Ultimately, as argued here, the integrity of the moko was maintained as evidenced by the increasing popularity of moko on Māori today.
Moko is an integral part of Māori history and culture. Our art histories track how the practice comes from oral stories relating to Mataora and Niwareka on the one hand, and archaeological and oral evidence brought over from the Pacific on the skins and in the minds of our ancestors. Over the centuries moko became carved into the skin, in doing so differing from the Pacific practice of tatau which is punctured and smooth.
Moko was one of the most intriguing practices that caught the eyes and pencils of early European explorers, most notably from England (Cook) and France (de Surville). With the official arrival of Christianity in 1814, the practice of moko began to change – in some areas where there was close contact it was set aside, but in other it continued throughout the nineteenth century.
By the time Lindauer arrived in New Zealand in 1874 it was mostly women who were receiving the moko, as Māori culture reeled from the processes of colonization (such as the establishment of the Native Land Court) and the New Zealand Wars. The result was tribal peoples often alienated from their ancestral lands and seeking new strategies to survive economically, politically and culturally.
It was these people who Lindauer depicted in his work, whose moko was some of the last done with the old uhi (chisel) technique. There is a variety of moko providing evidence of a wide range of designs across the country. Today these designs are a link through to the past, as descendants and other tribal members look once again to placing these moko on their own skins, to honour their ancestors, and thereby celebrating their survival
Photographic Perspectives: Performance, Democracy, and Intimacy In the Photography of Carrie Mae Weems, Wendy Ewald, and Nan Goldin
No full textThis thesis examines the photography of Carrie Mae Weems, Wendy Ewald, and Nan Goldin, three contemporary female artists from North America who take alternative approaches to documentary photography through their differing photographic perspectives.
Carrie Mae Weems’ self-portrait photography employs a lens of performance. In many of Weems’ photographic projects, she uses her body as an artistic vessel to re-represent and re-position the black body into art. Weems’s use of self-portraiture and models in her photography creates empowering examples for and of her African-American community.
Wendy Ewald’s collaborative photography employs a lens of democracy. Ewald collaborates with children of various races, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds to produce images that authentically share their stories. She focuses on the importance of subverting the traditional relationship between photographer and subject and works to empower both parties in this dynamic.
Nan Goldin’s subcultural photography employs a lens of Intimacy. Nan Goldin takes photographs of her friends and surrogate family from an insider's perspective. She objects to voyeurism and insists on capturing moments from a place of spontaneity and intimacy. Goldin works to illuminate her subjects and bring them away from the margins of society.
Despite the differing perspectives of these three artists, they are all driven by two common intentions, the first being to take images that create visibility for the communities their work represents, and the second to make relatable art, which aids in their subject’s visibility. Weems, Ewald, and Goldin, use their varying photographic perspectives as tools that enable these intentions
Indigenous Art, Sovereignty and Activism
No full textFull Text is available to authenticated members of The University of Auckland only.This thesis examines how Indigenous artists from around the world have engaged with sovereignty in their artistic practices. Indigenous artists use art to address personal and tribal histories of trauma, the creation of art ensures avenues of healing occur and cultural
continuity to thrive. Borrowing from Chadwick Allens’ seminal work Trans-Indigenous Methodologies (2017), Indigenous art speaks to a specific tribal narrative while simultaneously adding to a greater global Indigenous exploration of sovereignty, itself a contested term. Each chapter examines a different interpretation of sovereignty through a range of art forms: photography (ch.1), weaving and beading (ch.2), and video and film (ch.3). Each chapter focuses on different interpretations of sovereignty through the lens of Indigenous studies theory following writers like Vine Deloria Junior, Michelle Raheja, and Beverley Singer. The artists examined in each chapter encompass not only a wide range of styles they also descend from different parts of the world including; Canada, America, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The variety of work and its global settings reinforce the notion that sovereignty is both a historical term but also a contemporary action of protest. Studying artistic practice alongside Indigenous protest showcases the role that art plays as a tool of healing and survivance - it is both a personal device and something that informs a more significant global Indigenous dialogue
The Emancipation: Taonga Māori Returned To Iwi Post-Settlement
No full textFull Text is available to authenticated members of The University of Auckland only.This thesis aims to argue for the repatriation of taonga Māori (ancestral treasures) as a form of emancipation from Museums and, by extension, colonial ownership. It draws on the writings of Paul Tapsell, Amber Aranui, and Arapata Hakiwai, on the one hand, and interviews with iwi (tribal) experts, tribal negotiators, and GLAM (galleries, libraries, art galleries and museums) sector workers to demonstrate how museums have actively privileged the Crown’s narrative through the collection of taonga Māori. A survey undertaken as part of the study highlights poor engagement with rangatahi Māori (youth) who do not see themselves reflected in museums and a discernible disconnection between Māori and museums about actual Museology practice. These issues are explored by examining the return of taonga returned to Iwi as part of Waitangi Tribunal settlements. The first case study examines the history of the Ngati Awa whare whakairo (meeting house) Mātaatua in 1878 when the Crown asserted ownership over the house resulting in Mātaatua’s movement across several countries until repatriation occurred as a core component of the Ngāti Awa Raupatu Report WAI 46. The second case study moves inland to Ngāi Tūhoe and the repatriation of the Maungapōhatu Flag, which was seized during a police raid against Rua Kenana’s community at Maungapōhatu in 1916. For both Iwi, removing taonga tuku iho (ancestral treasures) was part of the Crown’s programme to destabilise the Iwi through land confiscation. Both case studies reveal new understandings of the Crown’s agency in removing fundamental tenets of tribal identity and authority - the whare and the flag stood for sovereignty and Iwi tenacity in seeking the return of their land and their taonga. This thesis identifies tensions between ownership and rights versus guardianship and protection and the ongoing difficulties faced by Māori in museums in this regard. Ultimately this thesis will show a positive change in museological practice that now privileges Indigenous peoples and their ways of knowing
Revealing Messages of Maori Adornments
No full textFull Text is available to authenticated members of The University of Auckland only.Māori adornments embellished the bodies of Māori for many reasons. In addition to beautifying the body, they were symbols of prestige and signaled status. They were worn for protection, ensuring safe passage when journeying through territories, or as mementoes believing the spirit of a loved one continued to live on within the adornment. They were used as marriage dowries and peace offerings, and their power was such that they were known to be the cause of warfare. This thesis takes a journey through Māori oral histories of pūrākau, whakataukī, and waiata to reveal how Māori adornments and adornment practices are discussed. Before the arrival of Pākehā (Europeans) to Aotearoa (New Zealand), Māori successfully transmitted their ancient oral histories for many generations. However, the impacts of colonisation caused a drastic decline of spoken Māori language, and with this, Māori oral histories have also been critically affected. This thesis demonstrates that oral histories remain crucial for insights into Māori culture, identifying a range of Māori adornments, their stories, and their significance. Oral histories of Ngāti Tūwharetoa feature strongly in this thesis, including personal testimonies from people of this region. With various Māori language and cultural restoration strategies implemented in Aotearoa, this thesis positively contributes to te ao Māori. More broadly, by revealing cultural, political, and economic messages embodied in Māori oral histories that refer to adornments, the text here reinforces the ongoing significance of oral histories for Māori
Connecting Communities and Cultural Heritage: A Study on Scotland's Ecomuseums Reconnecting Communities through Cultural Heritage
No full textCultural heritage is an important part of establishing our identity as people and giving us a
sense of place and belonging within our community. Cultural heritage today has become a
significant way for communities to reconnect through shared heritage, particularly since the
pandemic in 2020, to create a greener future. Scotland is a leading example of reconnecting
their communities through their cultural heritage by educating and involving communities
through cultural heritage institutions. Specifically, ecomuseums as cultural heritage
institutions have led the way sustainably and ethically, reconnecting local Scottish
communities to their vast and rich history, language and culture. Scottish cultural heritage
includes the revival of Scotland’s Indigenous language, Gaelic, clans, traditions, culture,
history and natural heritage. Ecomuseums are the way forward for showing and interacting
with cultural heritage while focusing on today’s climate change issues affecting natural
heritage beyond traditional museums’ walls for Scottish communities of today and the future.
This dissertation will focus on how Scotland’s ecomuseums are reconnecting local Scottish
communities to their cultural heritage, the effects of the loss of Scottish cultural heritage for
local communities, how Scottish ecomuseums are creating a more sustainable museum for
future generations to use and sustainably preserve and why ecomuseums are an important
institution used to connect communities to their cultural heritage. The Skye Ecomuseum and
the Cateran Ecomuseum are Scotland's only two ecomuseums explored as exemplary models
encompassing Georges Henri Rivière and Hugues de Varine’s concept of the ecomuseum
developed in France. Scottish ecomuseums empower and connect their local communities to
their cultural heritage through the natural heritage of their area.
The structure of this dissertation contains an introduction detailing further information on the
purpose and structure of my dissertation, the history of Scottish museums and ecomuseums
and a literature review of relevant research in eco-museology studies; chapter one discusses
my methodology approach, methods and limitations, chapter two analyses my first Scottish
ecomuseum case study, the Skye Ecomuseum, chapter three analyses my second Scottish
ecomuseum case study, the Cateran Ecomuseum, chapter four analyses my findings from my
chapters and ends with my concluding thoughts
The Man and the Museum: Thomas Frederick Cheeseman and the Auckland Institute and Museum, 1874-1923
No full textThis thesis examines the role of the botanist and museum curator Thomas Frederick Cheeseman (1845-1923) and his achievements at the Auckland Institute and Museum. It argues that Cheeseman was key in expanding the museum's collection, developing innovative exhibits, and professionalising curatorial practices. This study uses a historical and contemporary museology lens to analyse Cheeseman's work and his impact on transforming the Auckland Institute and Museum into a world-class institution.
The central theoretical framework of this thesis draws on Actor-Network Theory (ANT), a social theory used to analyse the relationships between human and non-human actors. It challenges the traditional human-centric view of social studies in order to recognise the agency of non-human actors in shaping social interactions. I employ ANT to demonstrate how Cheeseman’s collecting of specimens shaped his understanding of the natural world and his ideas about scientific classification. Through the application of taxonomic methods, I argue that Cheeseman identified relationships between heterogeneous specimens which in turn influenced the way in which he arranged the natural history collection in a typological manner. ANT has also been used here to understand Cheeseman’s interest in collecting and preserving ethnographic objects, specifically taonga Māori, which led him to build an important representative collection to depict, in his mind, Māori life before European intervention.
Significantly, this thesis contends that Cheeseman was a museum reformist at the forefront among colonial museums in Aotearoa New Zealand, notably in his application of modern international museological best practices to expand and organise the collection and improve its exhibition methods. This thesis addresses a gap in colonial museum historiography, and through its cross-disciplinary approach, draws on the fields of biography, botany, anthropology, museology and art history to bring new perspectives to the existing literature. In particular, this project contributes to the history of museum development in New Zealand, the links between museums, knowledge and colonisation, and more broadly, the transnational flows of knowledge between the metropole of the British Empire and the colonies. In the broader context of international museological developments of the late nineteenth century, this thesis contributes to an understanding of colonial museums in general and the wider historiography of New Zealand’s Victorian past
