Hineteiwaiwa is the atua wahine (female ancestor of significance) of birth, weaving, fabric artists and poets. She is connected to all making practices and resides over activity within Te Whare Pora. 

For artist Maungarongo Te Kawa, Hineteiwaiwa represents a core pou (pillar) to his practice. This quilt embodies her guidance and the vital position she holds for him in his practice.

‘Hineteiwaiwa is my connection to the stars. She is my companion, the big bright potent full moon. She is the steady flow of change and pattern in the sky that reminds me there’s an abundance of energy I can draw on and be guided by. Her energy is consistent even as it ebbs and flows through the month. I respond to this cycle – it both settles and ignites my practice.

This work is to uplift people. It is to remind us of the other energies and forces at play and that we need to be aware of them to heal and keep connected to the earth.'

The Whakapapa of Moonlight comes from the exhibition Te Whare Pora: a sacred space that includes works by Te Kawa from the past three years alongside three new quilts reflecting the core pou of his practice: Te Whare Pora, the sacred zone of making; Hineteiwaiwa, the guiding atua (deity) for creativity; and Waipunarangi, the source of ancestral guidance and inspiration.

Turumeke Harrington (Kāi Tahu, Rangitāne, Ngāti Toa Rangatira) created the quilt brackets and exhibition design for Te Whare Pora.

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Maungarongo Te Kawa (Ngāti Porou) has been working prolifically in fashion, art, community and education in Aotearoa New Zealand for the past three decades. Using sewing as a conduit to connect with people, he expertly guides workshop participants to confidently create with fabric and express their genealogy through sewing.

Over two decades, Te Kawa’s distinctive quilting style has explored mātauranga Māori (knowledge) and his whakapapa (genealogy) through bold colour and a tactile application of materials. Breaking the rules of traditional quilt construction, many types of fabric are masterfully stitched together to illustrate scenes from his imagination, his history and the stories of the people influential to his life.

Te Kawa has exhibited throughout Aotearoa, including solo exhibitions in 2021 at Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki and Objectspace, and in 2020 at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi, Whakatāne.

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Te Whare Pora: a sacred space is supported by Norwegian Crafts and Creative New Zealand and developed by Objectspace. It has been shown at Nitja senter for samtidskunst, Lillestrøm, Norway, Sámi Dáiddaguovddáš, Karasjok, Sápmi, and Te Manawa Museum, Palmerston North, Aotearoa.

The exhibition will open at its final venue, Tairawhiti Museum, Tairawhiti, Aotearoa, on 29 November 2024.