Toi Te Mana An Indigenous History Of Māori Art

Description

A landmark account in words and pictures of Maori art, by Maori art historians - from Polynesian voyaging waka to contemporary Maori artists.Toi Te Mana is a landmark account of Maori art from the time of the tupuna (ancestors) to the present day.

In 600 pages and over 500 extraordinary images, this volume invites readers to climb on to the waka for a remarkable voyage - from ancestral weavers to contemporary artists at the Venice Biennale, from whare whakairo to film, and from Te Puea Herangi to Michael Parekowhai.The authors explore a wide field of art practice: raranga (plaiting), whatu (weaving), moko (tattoo), whakairo (carving),rakai (jewellery), kakahu (textiles), whare (architecture), toi whenua (rock art), painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, installation art, digital media and film. And they do so over a long time period - from the arrival of Pacific voyagers 800 years ago to contemporary artists in Aotearoa and around the world today.

Through wide-ranging chapters alongside focused breakout boxes on individual artists, movements and events, Toi Te Mana is a waka eke noa - an essential book for anyone interested in te ao Maori.Toi Te Mana is a Maori art history, written by Maori, given to the world.

Reviews

'Toi Te Mana is an outstanding publication that brings to fruition the work of two exceptional Maori scholars and their visionary collaborator, the late Maori art historian Jonathan Mane-Wheoki. The book is not only a landmark in Maori art history, it challenges us to reconceive the entire narrative of art and modernity from the perspective of Indigenous cultures worldwide.' - Peter Brunt, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington 'This book is a comprehensive analysis that sets out to recalibrate the history of Maori art by rebalancing the gaps and Eurocentric focus of earlier writing. The format, with key chapters (kete) interspersed with breakout boxes focusing on specific artists and events, drives the kaupapa of the book forward, reinforcing a broadly chronological framework that nevertheless emphasises non-linearity, dynamism and change. The deployment of ancestral stories, chants and whakatauki to introduce chapters and sections draws together multiple strands to create a richly layered and relational landscape (whakapapa) for Maori arts. Ka mau te wehi! An outstanding contribution to Maori culture, arts and creativity - it is a great read.' - Maia Nuku (Ngai Tai), Curator Arts of Oceania, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 'Toi Te Mana is a bold and ambitious endeavour by our most experienced Maori art historians responding to a desperate need in Aotearoa New Zealand art education. A historical atlas encompassing the spectrum of Maori creativity, this work will certainly become a standard text of Maori art history and contribute to the global discourse on indigenous art histories in which Maori already hold a strong and distinctive position.' - Anna-Marie White (Te Atiawa), Toi Maori Aotearoa 'Toi Te Mana is a historic and groundbreaking text. It is an invaluable tool for Indigenous arts globally, and represents "best practice" in the field. The research and findings will be central to those of my generation and our students as we craft an Indigenous art history.' - Professor Nancy Mithlo, Gender Studies, UCLA, Los Angeles 'Toi Te Mana is a historic and groundbreaking text. The research and findings will be central to those of my generation and our students as we craft an Indigenous art history.' - Professor Nancy Mithlo, Gender Studies, UCLA, Los Angeles 'Toi Te Mana is a cultural feat ruminating on the luxurious depth and breadth of Maori art. From waka to painting to bodies, Brown, Ellis and Mane-Wheoki expertly fill each kete with insights, histories and analysis. This is a one-in-a-generation book.' - Lana Lopesi, University of Oregon 'This book provides an Indigenous account of Maori art, authored by Maori art historians, employing art historical methods, while highlighting its status as one of the foremost global art traditions. The authors hold considerable esteem in our field, which is reflected in the originality and irrefutable scholarship of their work. Remarkably, they have integrated myriad aspects of whakapapa, generations of ancestral history, and worldwide collections into a unified and meticulously researched and referenced book. The work is admirable in every respect.' - Jennifer J. Wagelie, Director of Cultural Development and Equity Initiatives, California State University, Sacramento

Author description

Ngarino Ellis (Ngapuhi, Ngati Porou) is an associate professor in art history at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland. Her monograph A Whakapapa of Tradition: 100 Years of Ngati Porou Carving, 1830-1930 (Auckland University Press, 2016) won several awards including the Judith Binney Best First Book at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards and Best Maori Art Book at the Nga Kupu Ora Awards: Celebrating Maori Books and Journalism, 2017. She co-edited Te Puna: Maori Art from Te Tai Tokerau / Northland (Reed, 2007) with Deidre Brown, and Te Ata: Maori Art from the East Coast, New Zealand (Reed, 2002) with Witi Ihimaera. Ngarino has also collaborated as a curator, including Whakawhanaungatanga: Connecting People and Taonga (Linden Museum, Stuttgart, 2022-24) with Dougal Austin, Awhina Tamarapa and Justine Treadwell, and Purangiaho: Seeing Clearly (Auckland Art Gallery, 2001) with Ngahiraka Mason and Kahutoi Te Kanawa. She has published on many aspects of Maori art history including moko, adornment, art crime and gender. Deidre Brown (Ngapuhi, Ngati Kahu) is a Maori art and architectural historian and professor of architecture at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland. Her books include Maori Architecture: From Fale to Wharenui and Beyond (Raupo, 2009; Nga Kupu Ora award winner and New Zealand Post Book Awards finalist), Introducing Maori Art (Reed, 2005), Tai Tokerau Whakairo Rakau: Northland Maori Wood Carving (Reed, 2003; NZSA Best First Book at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards), Te Puna: Maori Art from Te Tai Tokerau / Northland (Reed, 2007) with Ngarino Ellis, the multi-authored Art in Oceania: A New History (Thames & Hudson, 2012; Art Book Prize for best English language art book) and A New Zealand Book of Beasts: Animals in Our Culture, History and Everyday Life (Auckland University Press, 2013). She has curated several exhibitions and is a former Governor of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand. Deidre is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Aparangi and a 2023 Te Kahui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Gold Medallist - the Institute's highest award. Jonathan Mane-Wheoki CNZM (1943-2014; Ngapuhi, Te Aupouri, Ngati Kuri) was an art historian specialising in Maori, New Zealand and European art. His academic career began at the University of Canterbury and included serving as Dean of Music and Fine Arts. In 2004, he became the Director of Art and Collection Services at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand. Five years later, he was appointed Professor and Head of the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. Notable service roles included being a Governor of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand and member of Te Waka Toi, the Arts Council of Creative New Zealand, International Council of the Centre Culturel Jean-Marie Tjibaou and the Marsden Fund Council. Jonathan received an honorary LittD from the University of Canterbury in 2008 and the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Aparangi's Pou Aronui Award in 2012 and was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2014 for services to the arts.