Manu Tukutuku

65 × 65 mm

Silver – pure and sterling; pounamu – Griffin Range, NZ; harakeke – tag pieces and muka; copper wire; anodised aluminium wire; feathers; polyester thread

My manu tukutuku is based on the traditional Maori kite form often flown at the Maori New Year celebration of Matariki.

The ‘tukutuku’ denotes two items on this piece – firstly the muka cord or string is known in this situation as the tukutuku and secondly the tukutuku panel on the breastplate. This panel is made from pieces of harakeke tag that dropped off of my own piupiu made by my fathers Ngati Porou uncle Claude Keelan 57years ago. It seemed fitting to let the pieces fly again. The red stitching on that denotes Maia and her 6 sisters that make up the Matariki constellation.

As kites were used for play and messaging I have included a Pounamu karere – a messenger which was traditionally part of the manu tukutuku. The flyers skill was to get enough lift to be able to have the career spiral up and sit close to the actual kite, enabling the message to be seen from afar – here gravity keeps it close. Feather adornment was traditional as the kite is depicting a bird – manu, so I have honoured and finished off the piece with some.