Te Kākano: The Name
‘Te Kākano’ literally means ‘the seed’ and is used in this instance to indicate the beginning of a series of ongoing cultural portal projects. The terminology is also used to reference a well known Māori proverb; 'E kore au e ngaro te kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea', which literally translates as ‘I will never be lost, the seed which was sown from Rangiātea'. This proverb refers to the traditions and values that link Māori back to their Polynesian homeland.
Aside: Te Kākano has been funded by the Cultural Diplomacy Fund, a fund administered through New Zealand's Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The lead agency for this project is Tourism New Zealand
Te Kākano: The Project
The New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute - Te Puia, is carving a 10-metre high cultural portal which will take centre stage in the New Zealand Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai this year. Te Puia Chief Executive, Te Taru White says, “This concept has been founded on the notion of gifting. The cultural portal is a symbol of New Zealand and China's ongoing relationship and is a high-level mark of respect from the people of New Zealand”.
Te Kākano: The Concept
This concept has been designed using two traditional forms; the waka maumahara (canoe cenotaph) and the waharoa (traditional gateway). The carving has been developed in two main pieces which will be lashed together using a haumi join (traditional canoe join).
The waka maumahara is a customary monument reserved to memorialise high-ranking chiefs following their deaths. Functional waka were converted and stood upright to mark their significance and remember them. In this instance the cenotaph’s purpose is to memorialise the relationship between New Zealand and China.
The waharoa, while literally an entrance way, is a threshold between two distinct environments. In traditional terms the waharoa was a portal between two separate groups, the group within a pā tūwatawata (fortified precinct) and a visiting roopu (group). While the purpose of a customary waharoa was to restrict and manage the flow of a visiting group, today they take on a number of different functions, including defining the perimeter of any given precinct.
Most importantly the waharoa signified an explicit point of contemplation. Entering through a waharoa with the correct intentions, and by following the appropriate processes, entitled the visiting group to boundless hospitality (manaakitanga) and opportunities. In customary Māori society, all negotiations, including trade did not happen until this process had formally taken place. The waharoa in this context symbolises a relationship pathway between the two nations.
