Whenua as Adornment in Kapa Haka
nā Sarah Hudson, August 2021
For tangata whenua to adorn themselves with the whenua of which they belong to, is a way to visually represent one’s embodiment of mana whenua.
When talking with Māori about the legacy of earth pigments as adornment, an accessible, living reference point is the use of painted skin in kapa haka. We can see lot’s of innovative indigenous aesthetics during competitions, interpretations of bone, feathers, fibre and whenua are elevated to wow tough audiences.
Since starting this research in 2019, we’ve unfortunately also heard of some worrying issues that kapa haka roopū have come up against using commercial paint to replicate earth colours. These include skin irritation, allergic reactions, and in some cases, chemical burns.
Ōhinemataroa ki Ruatāhuna
at the 2020 Kapa Haka regionals
To avoid any risk of reactions to commercial paint kapa haka roopū can look to earth pigments as a solution. With a little dedication, each roopū could adorn themselves in the colours of home - rather than an acrylic paint that is close to the colours of home. This is the natural skin adornment that our tīpuna used, surely this element would bring another level of mauri to any performance.
Not only does the use of whenua bring another metaphysical element to any kapa haka bracket; when it all comes off - earth is returned to the earth. Our waterways are not polluted with acrylic paint being washed down the drain.
Kapa haka is one of the most vivid contemporary references we have to wearing whenua. Let’s strive go hold dear to it’s origins, embodying our whenua, our whakapapa, and ngā atua.