List of Works P to S
Panakatere nanny's sacred family lands north in Tai Tokerau. Mum was signed over all her siblings land interests up north when she moved there in the 60s. When we had all left home she took away our choice to sell our inheritance to the pakeha and the lands went back to the shareholders as was her nature to put the land itself first.
2016 Size 6Ocm x 75cm Acrylics on Canvas
Pania's Dream The connection from womb to the family tree of our oral history. The sacred stone of our ancestors is buried beneath the wharenui and awakens during all occasions on the Pa to rejoice and be entertained as an entity from the past.
2025 Size 9Ocm x 75cm Acrylics on Canvas
Papa Hunuhunu put a great pounamu around mums neck and claimed her and her gifts to dream with the land for his lineage alone when she was eight. Mum said he had a hobbie of monitoring his mokopuna looking for signs of old Jacobs talents in their actions. When papa travelled for work she and auntie kato were raised with their cousin auntie lulu under the tutualage of Papa Bob and Nanny Rati. Mum said every pension day nanny bought them something special like new socks as gifts of her aroha.
2024 Size 9Ocm x 75cm Acrylics on Canvas
Papakainga The guardianship of family land is paramount to those raised on it. Each generation has a role to play in maintaining the sacredness of their papakainga land. Rangatahi today are rising like expected to continue this practise of our living customs about the eternal life entwined in our land.
2021 Size 5Ocm x 60cm Acrylics on Canvas
The Pine Tree Line along our papakainga border had imbedded beneath our tupuna afterbirths going back in time to Jacob. Mum guarded the old cherrytree and the pepper tree like her koroua. My older sister currently guards our Pepper tree spirit of afterbirths maintaining customs while the spirit of the older cherrytree root beneath our papakainga projects stories through dream in order to share memory and be remembered.
2022 Size 7Ocm x 65cm Acrylics on Canvas
Pekehaua & Tarimano One a spirit being the other a stone as each carry mana by name for our tribe. Tarimano a living stone buried beneath the big house is remembered above through song and dance. Pekehaua the blood of a taniwha sacrificed and absorbed into the bloodlines of our Pa by tohunga. Both guardians guide and protect us away from home in the pakeha world.
2021 Size 120cm x 112cm Acrylics on Canvas
Pene Rakau Teaching from a kohungareo perspective is to bypass the english system and immerse the tamariki in nature speaking to Maori mind body and spirit. To Maori the pakeha pencil came to help them thrive as does AI and the internet today. Both a maze of haphazard pakeha tools we use creatively for our mahi of weaving our thread continuously into the future. Cultures may come and go but we remain committed to survive with our own perspectives and principles intact.
2025 Size 5Ocm x 75cm Acrylics on Canvas
Poppa Celebrating the memory of his whakapapa with a portrait of living a bilingual life during the depression, and first and second world wars. We as mokopuna were all blessed by his presence as his daughters were so fiesty Poppa had to be shared between them all each year up until his death on my 13th birthday. Like me his family helped him raise his kids to continue on our old ways of sharing the knowledge of our past with family first.
2023 Size 5Ocm x 60cm Acrylics on Canvas
Poppa Series 1 Poppa would talk about the spirit of his mountain protecting us from harm no matter how far away we were from the land. Mountains talk. When cousin Violet was 13 Poppa took her to the rivermouth and told her he was going to take all of the tapu with him when he left as changing times were coming for us. Cousin Violet was like Pop she embraced the universe and his will gave her the freedom to explore the pakeha tarot and spirit world when she grew up. This was his seer heritage mum talked about. Papa saw many things in his dreams.
1997 Size 5Ocm^ Acrylics on Canvas
Puhiwhenua She rises from the whakapapa of papakainga land as a guardian of wahine toa to the tribe. Her spirit felt not seen by other young puhi. I see mum in her youth as a chosen puhi to care for a time only, our nannies whenua and memories. Mum led two lives one up north and the other she ensured to return home to Awahou for karakia memory and dreams. She would wake from a dream up north angry and ring home to auntie kato asking what was happening either with the land or our family. As sisters they shared Papa Bobs lores before teaching... I know who I am do you know who you are.
2024 Size 1.2Ocm x 112cm Acrylics on Canvas
Puhi of a Well Listening to the heartbeat of the whenua through Maori eyes. When I reach the wharenui threshold the old tupuna rise to greet those who travel back to the pa. Each visit home comes the terror of the cold dive to release old wairua and energy back for new. The feeling after wrapped in a towel is one of burdens lifted and jobs done well for the year.
2022 Size 9Ocm x 75cm Acrylics on Canvas
Pukaki An old carved taonga of a chief from Te Arawa turning up in many dreams. The twins in his carved hands representing many differing stories to the locals but a friend to us all when we who live overseas saw him come to say hello in an exhibition. Its like seeing an old koroua you just want to sleep next to when you live so far away from his and our home.
1991 Size 2 x 9Ocm x 60cm Acrylics on Canvas
Rangiwewehi The awakening of an old soul of the wharenui to guide the way of the korero for our people to come. His commitment to our descendants of Awahou remembered in song and dance over the years is still celebrated today. His wairua always present in our bloodlines to use wisely and with caution for spiritual support on the land.
2023 Size 9Ocm x 75cm Acrylics on Canvas
Papatuanuku The feminine force of nature. It tells a story of old Nanny Ripeka next door. She waited at the bus stop for mum and her cousins to come home after school every day so they could work in the community garden. Her sometimes harsh efforts ensured the tribe lived through the cold winters during the depression. My mum said none of us would be here if nanny had not been hard and raised them with a stick.
2025 Size 1.2cm^ Acrylics on Canvas
Rongoa the healing powers of bush medicine to Maori. Making poultices and drinks from the kawakawa plant was just one way of providing for medicinal needs. Other sources on the ground in the bush even pakeha dandilions are a nutritious food if you have the sight of my big sister Ruby.
2025 Size 75cm x 50cm Acrylics on Canvas
Saint Catherine Church Tai Tokerau The different houses of faith I visited while growing up north and the curiousity of christ being so different yet similiar to Maori spiritualism. My father told mum it was a waste of time farm work needed to be done but mum stood her ground and let me seek the source of nga wairua o te pakeha.
2024 Size 5Ocm x 75cm Acrylics on Canvas
Seven Hei Tiki The major pattern of bloodlines inherit of Hakopa blood. Papa Hehe had seven children by blood and many more from whangai. He raised all his children equally within knowledge and understanding of our customs and protocols. He left a legacy for his mokopuna not easily seen today in modern times but seek it through nga karakia of Jacobs story mum said and the doorway will open for you.
2023 Size 7Ocm x 65cm Acrylics on Canvas
Silver Swan A representation of seeking the mauri from the land and her spirit creatures to heal the heart of an island people. Each generation today strives to achieve what the tupuna did as daily routine in their time. The island of Mokoia holds training for warriors to heal away from the pakeha and peace to family who come to visit the past. Walking through the bush paths to the entrance of an old fire circle as time is eternal for those on the other side.
2024 Size 5Ocm x 75cm Acrylics on Canvas
Sisters a new generation portraying the Maori tea ceremony on the Pa. What has been passed over and what has been kept as the tribe moves forward. We lost the direct contact between our old and the serving youth when we moved to self help tea service on the marae. More efficient but less aroha so we still serve the old. The conversation with the act of pouring tea is lost with our kuia and koroua.
2023 Size 6Ocm x 75cm Acrylics on Canvas
Spirit of a Medicine Bowl Portrays the connection between spirituality and medicine to heal beyond the body to the soul. These were old time practices that are being revilalised as alternate western medicines. Many of our medicinal practices have been plagiarized by western medicine but mum reminded me it takes more than a book to find Maori truth.
2024 Size 6Ocm x 75cm Acrylics on Canvas
Stepping Stones The way through a maze of chants and prayers to the other side of life itself our heavens of many Hawaiikinui.
1998 Size 9O cm x 60 cm Acrylics on Canvas
Still Life Bone and vessel in Yellow oils only. Completing a pakeha exercise at university of using only yellow oils with black and white mixers to see how many colour tones you can get in one picture.
1991 Size 6O cm x 75 cm Oils on Cavas
Stories from the Tree Before the introduction of TV most of the storytelling was told under the family tree while kids played and nannies reminisced about the hard times of the old ways. We were blessed as children to have so many choices of play around the awa when mum was distracted at the Pa or the chapel.
2022 Size 6O cm x 75 cm
Swan Lake A Rose line representing a gifted female lineage off a male line of the Jacob Hakopa tree. The swans represent again my aunties and nannies who saw beauty in simplicity passing on their knowledge with truth and understanding.
2024 Size 9O cm x 75 cm Acrylics on Canvas
Reunion of te motu We weave our whakapapa home to papakainga lands to rejoice in family and land affairs. Our history of chiefs around the motu watch on from the other side awakened by the karanga of welcome home.
1998 Size 9O cm x 60 cm Acrylics on Canvas
