He Kapua Whakapipi, He Kapua Whakapapa

Abstract

He Kapua Whakapipi translates to cumulus clouds, while the word whakapipi means to pile upon another, stack or accumulate. In this project, He Kapua Whakapipi (accumulating clouds) represents being shrouded in a blanket of the cloudy and unknown; while He Kapua Whakapapa (layering clouds of descent) refer to the primordial parents of the Māori world, Ranginui and Papatūānuku and the tūpuna that come before me. Through accumulation and layering, I begin to form connections to my whakapapa by taking the cloudy or unknown and making them tangible through the material practice of papermaking.

My Ngāti Kuri tūpuna shared an interconnected, spiritual connection with the land and natural materials, formed through whakapapa links. Through the practice of plant-based papermaking, I develop a sense of identity and relationship to my Ngāti Kuri whakapapa. This practice-led exegesis is informed by a Kaupapa Māori paradigm that stems from ancestral knowledge. This research employs concepts of mātauranga Māori and decolonised methodological approaches, thereby challenging my prior worldview, in order to view the world through an Indigenous lens. The methods of connecting, journaling and creating, are influenced by Linda Tuhiwai Smith’s Twenty-Five Indigenous Projects (2021) and grounds the work.

The research is explored through three phases. Firstly, submerging myself in theoretical knowledge to begin to understand the links between whakapapa connections to Ranginui (Sky Father), Papatūānuku (Earth Mother) and tūpuna (ancestors); secondly, through knowledge around harvesting plant material using customary practices; and thirdly, by incorporating, practical knowledge situated around the practice of papermaking to create whakapapa connections to Atua using the forms of paper clouds and rocks.