Rongowhakaata is taking their history into their own hands and telling it their way. The iwi has officially opened its second exhibition at the Tairawhiti Museum in Gisborne called Ko Rongowhakaata which is part of a special three-part series.
Dawn saw hundreds pack the walls of the Te Tairawhiti Museum to witness history for Rongowhakaata.
Rongowhakaata Artist Derek Lardelli says, “You see all the different people that have come together here, that talk together, that are brought to tears, to say farewell, to feast their eyes everywhere they look to what is what today is about.”
Close to a hundred items are part of the exhibition dating back as far as pre-Captain James Cook time’s right through to modern digital pieces.
“It's amazing. It takes me back in time, even though I'm married into Rongowhakaata I feel just as enriched with these acknowledgments of Rongowhakaata,” says Paku-Jane Brown.
Te Papa Tongarewa Curator Arapata Hakiwai, “The iwi has waited a long time for this, to be able to show their own history and their own genealogy for all the world to see and to be able to do it in their own way.”
The iwi started telling their stories with a series of exhibitions held at five marae in Manutuke and have now broadened their reach with this exhibition at the museum.
“We are very elated and filled with joy to share this with the world, firstly with our own region by holding exhibitions in our marae and then one year later and here we are, says Rongowhakaata descendant Taharakau Stewart
The third installment of the series of exhibitions will take place at Te Papa, Wellington next year.