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Whetū Kapai

Whetū Kapai is a contemporary Māori tiki that celebrates the eternal bond between the earthly and the celestial, the ancestral and the present. Rooted in traditional tiki forms, this piece embodies the mana of protection, connection, and spiritual insight — reimagined through a modern lens to speak to our evolving relationship with wellbeing and identity.

 

The name Whetū Kapai, meaning “Beautiful Star” or “Adorned Star,” is both a tribute to the brilliance of our tīpuna (ancestors) and an invocation of the celestial energies that guide and sustain us. Central to this work is the presence of Rongomai — known today as Halley’s Comet — a tohu (sign) in the night sky that has long held significance for Māori as a harbinger of change, reflection, and renewal.

 

As Rongomai returns, casting its light across the heavens, it offers a potent symbol of healing, wairua (spiritual) realignment, and collective focus on hauora (health and wellbeing). Whetū Kapai acknowledges this arrival not with fear, but with hope — seeing it as a time to reset, reconnect, and realign with the rhythms of the universe and the wisdom of those who came before us.

 

This tiki is not merely a form; it is a living vessel — carrying stories of whakapapa, resilience, and the guiding stars within us all. It stands as a reminder that even in darkness, there are tohu to follow, and that the light we carry — like Rongomai — can blaze new paths of transformation and strength.

Whetū Kapai is a contemporary Māori tiki that celebrates the eternal bond between the earthly and the celestial, the ancestral and the present. Rooted in traditional tiki forms, this piece embodies the mana of protection, connection, and spiritual insight — reimagined through a modern lens to speak to our evolving relationship with wellbeing and identity.

 

The name Whetū Kapai, meaning “Beautiful Star” or “Adorned Star,” is both a tribute to the brilliance of our tīpuna (ancestors) and an invocation of the celestial energies that guide and sustain us. Central to this work is the presence of Rongomai — known today as Halley’s Comet — a tohu (sign) in the night sky that has long held significance for Māori as a harbinger of change, reflection, and renewal.

 

Whetū Kapai

 

Ko Whetū Kapai he tiki Māori o te ao hou e whakanui ana i te hononga mutunga kore i waenga i te ao tūroa me te ao mārama, te hunga tīpuna me te ira tangata o nāianei. E ū ana ki ngā āhua tuku iho o te tiki, e kawe ana tēnei taonga i te mana o te tiaki, te hono, me te māramatanga wairua — kua whakahoutia mā te tirohanga o ēnei rā hei kōrero mō tō tātou hononga ki te hauora me te tuakiri e tipu ake ana.

 

Ko te ingoa Whetū Kapai e whakamārama ana i te “Whetū ātaahua” – he kupu whakanui mō te pūmanawa o ō tātou tīpuna, ā, he karanga hoki ki ngā kaha o te rangi e ārahi ana, e manaaki ana i a tātou. Ko te iho o tēnei mahi toi ko Rongomai – e mōhiotia ana ināianei ko Halley’s Comet – he tohu i te rangi kua roa e mōhiotia ana e te iwi Māori hei tohu mō te panonitanga, te whakatā, me te whakahoutanga.

 

Ka hoki mai a Rongomai ki te rangi, ka whiti tōna māramatanga ki te ao, hei tohu whakakaha, hei tohu whakaora, me te whakahou i te wairua, me te arotahi ngātahi ki te hauora o te tinana, te hinengaro, te wairua, me te whānau. Kāore a Whetū Kapai e tiro atu ki tēnei taenga mai me te mataku, engari mā te tūmanako — hei wā tēnei ki te whakahou, ki te hono anō, ā, ki te whai i ngā takanga o te ao me ngā mātauranga o rātou mā kua whetūrangitia.

 

Ehara tēnei tiki i te āhua noa iho; engari he waka ora — e kawe ana i ngā kōrero o te whakapapa, te manawaroa, me ngā whetū ārahi kei roto i a tātou katoa. He whakamaumaharatanga kia mōhio ai tātou, ahakoa te pōuri, he tohu kei reira hei ārahi i a tātou, ā, ko te mārama kei roto i a tātou – pēnei i a Rongomai – ka āhei ki te whakakā i ngā ara hou, hei whakarerekē, hei whakapakari i a tātou.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

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Reweti Arapere studied at Massey University’s Toioho ki Āpiti, graduating with a Master of Māori Visual Arts in 2009. He works primarily in illustration, painting, sculpture and installation, his practice bringing together traditional Māori narratives and artistic practices with contemporary materials and forms.

A commitment to te reo Māori underpins these associations, grounding his interpretation of whakairo (carving) and figurative symbols. Bridging modern, customary and cosmological narratives, Arapere’s illustrated figures demonstrate how these narratives continue to guide Māori cultural identity.

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©2023 by Te Tuhi Mareikura Trust.

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