Legado Vivo Māori – Tuku Iho

Legado Vivo Māori – Tuku Iho was an exhibition of taonga Māori (Māori artworks), whakairo (Māori carving), tā moko (Māori tattoo) and kapa haka (Māori performing arts). The exhibition contained more than 80 pieces of Māori art and craft made from wood, greenstone, bone, stone, bronze and flax. These pieces were created by past and present tutors and students of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute.

In te reo Māori, tuku iho means “to pass on”; it reflects the responsibility that Māori have to pass on their knowledge, skills, customs, values and protocols to the next generation. Legado Vivo Māori - Tuku Iho was an opportunity for Māori to take their history, art and culture abroad and interact with other cultures.

Legado Vivo Māori – Tuku Iho was shown in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Santiago, as well as at several venues in Asia and the US. The exhibition included live whakairo and tā moko demonstrations and kapa haka performances, which included a rendition of Garota de Ipanema by Tom Jobim, sung in te reo Māori. It also gave the Māori artists and performers a space to demonstrate their craft alongside indigenous artists and performers, such as the Wichí carvers in Argentina and Kayapó singers and dancers in Brazil. These interactions did more than share Māori culture; they showed solidarity among indigenous people, many of whom still struggle for their rights.

The exhibition was supported by New Zealand embassies in the host countries, as part of their aim to strengthen political and trade relationships and establish educational partnerships. It prompted New Zealand to support more cultural and linguistic exchanges between New Zealand and Brazil, and support projects by Brazilian universities that promote indigenous languages in Brazil.

Legado Vivo Māori – Tuku Iho also led to closer relationships between Māori and other indigenous peoples. For example, in Brazil, a group of 20 Kayapó and 12 Māori gave a singing and dancing performance at Museu do Índio at the Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas (Brazil’s national foundation of indigenous peoples). This led the Māori group to build a vessel that the Kayapó sculpted.

Published 02 November 2023

Dates

2015-2019

Venues

Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral, Santiago, Chile

Forte de Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas, Brazil

Galpão das Artes do Espaço Tom Jobim, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Museu do Índio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Parque Madureira, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Prefeitura da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro

Universidade de Brasília

Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Usina del Arte, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Media links

Canal Curta! 2015. Agenda Curta! - Exposição "Tuku Iho - Legado Vivo Maori".

Rotorua Daily Post. 10 October 2015. Māori Exhibition Opens in Rio. Rotorua Daily Post.

Further reading

Rebeca Bombonato & Marília Xavier Cury. 2021. Tuku Iho Legado Vivo Maori: Arte, Interação e Autorrepresentação. Museologia e Interdisciplinaridade, 10, 62-80.

Languages of delivery

English

Kayapó

Māori

Portuguese

Spanish

Visit the project site

Legado Vivo Māori – Tuku Iho website

Published 02 November 2023