Here are a few whakataukī we’ve gathered to share. We’ve found these have helpful in our research and art practices. Hopefully they are of use to your mahi too.
All accompanying images are by Sarah Hudson and Lanae Cable,
shot on 35mm film during the Te Urewera research project.
Ko te wai te toto o te whenua,
ko te whenua te toto o te tangata
Water is the blood of the land, and the land is the blood of the people.
Manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata, Haere whakamua
Care for the land, care for the people, go forward.
Whatungarongaro te tangata,
toitū te whenua
As people disappear from sight, the land remains
Te toto o te tangata he kai, te oranga o te tangata, he whenua, he oneone
While food provides the blood in our veins, our wellbeing is drawn from the land and soils.
Tukuna mai he kapunga oneone ki ahau he tangi maku
Send me a handful of soil so that I may weep over it.
Ko Papatūānuku te matua o te tangata
Papatūānuku is the parent of the human race