Diggeress Te Kanawa
Encyclopedia
Diggeress Rangituatahi Te Kanawa (1920-2009) was a New Zealand
Māori tohunga raranga (master weaver). Of Ngati Maniapoto
and Ngati Kinohaku descent, she was was given her unusual forename to honour the World War I
diggers
after her father served in the Māori Battalion
. At her death, she was perhaps New Zealand's most renown weaver.
1920 to Dame Rangimarie Hetet and Tuheka Taonui Hetet, Te Kanawa was named Diggeress after the nick-name 'diggers' acquired by the Māori Battalion (and the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
more generally). She was taught weaving
by her mother, who also taught Erenora Puketapu-Hetet
, who would become her sister-in-law.
Te Kanawa married Tana Te Kanawa at 20 and they had 12 children, raising them at Oparure, near Te Kuiti
. Through Tana she is Aunt to opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa
.
and at events. She also traveled extensively to catalog materials lost to foreign museums during the colonial era.
Her work is not widely held in museums, being mainly made for specific people. In 1989 Te Kanawa and her mother were commissioned to make a cloak to celebrate the 25th annaversary of the founding of the University of Waikato
. In 2006 she completed a commissioned korowai made of kiwi feathers for King Tuheitia as a statement of support for the Kingitanga.
Throughout the 1950s she was active in the Māori Women's Welfare League
and in 1983 Te Kanawa co-founded what would become Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa
with others including Emily Schuster of Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua
Te Kanawa was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2000 New Year Honours.
In 2007 Te Kanawa received an honorary doctorate from the University of Waikato
, her mother had revieced one in 1986.
A collection of her kahu huruhuru (woven muka
cloaks, feathered on one side) is in the Waikato Museum
in Hamilton
.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Māori tohunga raranga (master weaver). Of Ngati Maniapoto
Ngati Maniapoto
Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Tainui confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa back to people who arrived in New Zealand on the waka Tainui...
and Ngati Kinohaku descent, she was was given her unusual forename to honour the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
diggers
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...
after her father served in the Māori Battalion
Maori Battalion
The 28th Battalion, more commonly known as the Māori Battalion, was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand Army that served during the Second World War. It was formed following pressure on the Labour government by some Māori MPs and Māori organisations throughout the country wanting a full Māori...
. At her death, she was perhaps New Zealand's most renown weaver.
Biography
Born in Te KuitiTe Kuiti
Te Kuiti is a small town in the south of the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the junction of State Highways 3 and 30 and on the North Island Main Trunk Railway, 80 km south of Hamilton....
1920 to Dame Rangimarie Hetet and Tuheka Taonui Hetet, Te Kanawa was named Diggeress after the nick-name 'diggers' acquired by the Māori Battalion (and the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...
more generally). She was taught weaving
Maori traditional textiles
Māori traditional textiles are the indigenous textiles of the Māori people of New Zealand. The organisation Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, the national Māori weavers’ collective aims to preserve and foster the skills of making and using these materials....
by her mother, who also taught Erenora Puketapu-Hetet
Erenora Puketapu-Hetet
Erenora Puketapu-Hetet was a noted New Zealand weaver and author. She was a key figure in the Māori cultural renaissance and helped lift Māori weaving from a craft to an art. Of Te Atiawa descent, she grew up close to the marae in Waiwhetū near Wellington and moved to Te Kuiti after marrying Rangi...
, who would become her sister-in-law.
Te Kanawa married Tana Te Kanawa at 20 and they had 12 children, raising them at Oparure, near Te Kuiti
Te Kuiti
Te Kuiti is a small town in the south of the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the junction of State Highways 3 and 30 and on the North Island Main Trunk Railway, 80 km south of Hamilton....
. Through Tana she is Aunt to opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa
Kiri Te Kanawa
Dame Kiri Jeanette Te Kanawa, ONZ, DBE, AC is a New Zealand / Māori soprano who has had a highly successful international opera career since 1968. Acclaimed as one of the most beloved sopranos in both the United States and Britain she possesses a warm full lyric soprano voice, singing a wide array...
.
Weaving
Te Kanawa is remembered as a teacher of weaving, on marae, at the tertiary Te Wānanga o AotearoaTe Wananga o Aotearoa
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is a tertiary education provider, specifically a wānanga, in New Zealand. The organisation was established to improve the social and economic wellbeing of those who had previously had negative experiences with the secondary education system...
and at events. She also traveled extensively to catalog materials lost to foreign museums during the colonial era.
Her work is not widely held in museums, being mainly made for specific people. In 1989 Te Kanawa and her mother were commissioned to make a cloak to celebrate the 25th annaversary of the founding of the University of Waikato
University of Waikato
The University of Waikato is located in Hamilton and Tauranga, New Zealand, and was established in 1964. It has strengths across a broad range of subject areas, particularly its degrees in Computer Science and in Management...
. In 2006 she completed a commissioned korowai made of kiwi feathers for King Tuheitia as a statement of support for the Kingitanga.
Throughout the 1950s she was active in the Māori Women's Welfare League
Māori Women's Welfare League
The Māori Women’s Welfare League or Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko I te Ora is a New Zealand welfare organisation focusing on Māori women and children...
and in 1983 Te Kanawa co-founded what would become Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa
Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa
Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa or Māori Weavers New Zealand is the New Zealand national Māori weavers’ collective, which aims to foster and preserve Māori traditional textiles....
with others including Emily Schuster of Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
Te Kanawa was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2000 New Year Honours.
In 2007 Te Kanawa received an honorary doctorate from the University of Waikato
University of Waikato
The University of Waikato is located in Hamilton and Tauranga, New Zealand, and was established in 1964. It has strengths across a broad range of subject areas, particularly its degrees in Computer Science and in Management...
, her mother had revieced one in 1986.
A collection of her kahu huruhuru (woven muka
Muka
Muka is prepared fibre of New Zealand flax . Prepared primarily by scrapping, pounding and washing, it is a key material in Māori traditional textiles where is is usually used in tāniko or twined weaving, as in the figure right....
cloaks, feathered on one side) is in the Waikato Museum
Waikato Museum
The Waikato Museum is situated in the city of Hamilton, in the Waikato region of New Zealand.Previously called the Waikato Museum of Art and History, the full name has been shortened in recent years due to the incorporation Exscite, an interactive science centre, and the emphasis on Tangata Whenua...
in Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
.
Works
- Weaving a kakahu by Diggeress Te Kanawa. Bridget Williams Books, 1992. ISBN 0908912080
- Te aho tapu / the sacred thread by Diggeress Te Kanawa. Exhibition guide. Waikato Museum of Art and History, 2004.
- Weaving a kakahu by Diggeress Te Kanawa. Puwaha ki te Ao Trust, 2006. ISBN 9780473117962 / ISBN 0473117967
Exhibitions
- Te Amokura o te Māori (1986)
- Rotorua National Hui (1990)
- Te Waka Toi: Contemporary Māori Art from New Zealand (1992)
- Paa Harakeke (2002).
- Te Aho Tapu / The Sacred Thread (2004),