Piupiu and Moewai share wholesome chats about observing their surroundings and letting their wairua connect to Te Ao Māori while they’re out in the ngahere collecting whenua. They talk about the influences on their work, and collect some material to make art with. They share their kōrero on a sunny day, whilst walking through Bethunes Gully, in the shadow of Kapukataumahaka.
Piupiu-Maya Turei
(Wairarapa Moana, Te Ātiawa ki Waikawa, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi)
Moewai Marsh
(Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa)
Piupiu: Do you normally go looking along a riverbank?
Moewai: It's different depending on the landscape I'm in, like I know when I'm out by the peninsula, there’s the clay bank and that's always going to make beautiful pigment. But sometimes it's good to grab a rock that's hard and if you throw it against something and it breaks, it crumbles, that can be used as well to make whenua. I've never been here before so there's also some excitement in that as well - that's why I brought my rock to scratch colours on.
Moewai: Ross, I feel like he really changed my life. Just going back to our convo we had earlier – I feel like if he didn’t ask those questions… I wanted to use kōkōwai in my practice, but I didn’t know where to start or how gather it and people were telling me to go to Ross.
[We’re both puffing and neither of us wore shoes for exploring - rookie mistake!]
Piupiu: Go seek the kaumatua with all the wise knowledge! This is when you first asked him about kōkōwai right?
Moewai: The core question Ross had for me is why do I want to use kōkōwai?
