Whare at the base of the maunga

Cora-Allan Wickliffe
July 2021

Ko Te Aroha toku maunga

Ko Waihou toku awa

Ko Tui Pa toku marae

Ko Tainui toku waka

Ko Ngatitumutumu toku iwi

Ko Cora-Allan toku ingoa

Spending time in the islands harvesting inks is back-breaking work most of the time, with a focus on gathering materials for black ink to paint onto Hiapo. Adding colours was not something I thought about until I heard of the red that comes from the red banana and how warriors used it on their body in Niue. It unlocked an area of interest that just goes on forever and I feel so lucky to have found this love for colours and searching now.

The colour dive is obsessive but also a way I have gotten to connect and understand space and land more. Thinking about the Why and How a colour came to be and questioning its environment are some of the questions that pop into my head when we are driving around Aotearoa. I also found that being on a boat looking back at the whenua made me want to search for the different tones of yellow and smelling the sea while scouring for colours activates my whole body.

I have been enjoying finding these colours and smells in places that I whakapapa to and doing this alongside my sons has been an adventure. I had not been to Te Aroha for a long time, since I was really little, so coming back as an adult with my kids and visually showing them their pepeha was exciting. The light in my son’s eyes when he could say “Tui pa toku marae” and stand in front of it, was unforgettable. I had forgotten to show them these spaces and felt bad as we often made trips back to Daniels whanau in America but Te Aroha had not been on my mind.

The main reason for our trip down was to support my koro with his move back to Te Aroha and to visit this house we had heard so much about at the base of Te Aroha maunga. The size of the maunga surprised me as it was still as big as I remember it, the idea of gathering a palette from this beauty of a maunga feels like such a gift that I can’t wait to share. Upon our first hour in Te Aroha I gathered a sample from the corner of koro’s property, a handful from a track that was at the entry of the maunga and from the front of the marae.

However, when we met up with everyone it didn’t feel right to harvest, it felt like more of a time to connect with Koro and to chat with my cousin Taako who will be looking after him down there. Feeling out the space and recognising that it would be more productive to our whānau to play and spend time with each other was more important. My cousin Taako is someone I am passing down Hiapo knowledge to, she has been suggesting we plant some Hiapo trees in the garden and I think she is right, they would grow well, and, in a way, our two cultures meet in a new home. Her father is Niuean and our mothers are sisters so being able to teach her has been a blessing as Niuean knowledge is often passed only to bloodlines.

With koro now living at the base of the maunga and with new adventures coming, I feel excited to share what we harvest and have our sons be around him in his final years. Being able to share what we collect I know will drum up some stories for him so I look forward to more trips soon and gathering from the top of the maunga which none of my family have summited by foot yet.

Nā Cora-Allen Wickliffe