Museum_of_New_Zealand_exhibition_poster_(1990)_featuring_artist_E_Mervyn_Taylor_(18806763842).jpg
Summary
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Twinkling in the winter skies of June, Matariki (the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades) signals the Māori New Year. Traditionally, it was a time for remembering the dead, and celebrating new life. In recent times, observing Matariki has become popular again, with a resurgence of cultural activities to mark the occasion. Various Māori iwi celebrated Matariki at different times. Some held festivities when Matariki was first seen in the dawn sky; others celebrated after the full moon rose or at the beginning of the next new moon. At Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwangatanga we’re celebrating Matariki 2015 over the week of 15-19 June with records from our collection. Ka puta Matariki ka rere Whānui. Ko te tohu tēnā o te tau e! Matariki re-appears, Whānui starts its flight. Being the sign of the [new] year! This 1990 Museum of New Zealand exhibition poster features a woodcut by prominent artist E Mervyn Taylor (1906-1964), whose printmaking helped bring art closer to the general public. Commissioned for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II during 1954, Te Kōtuku Rerenga Tahi (1953) takes its title from Tāne’s travels to the twelfth heaven to bring back three baskets of knowledge. Tāne was accompanied by a kōtuku on his ascent. Apart from the naturalistic kōtuku, writes Douglas Horrell, the generalised figures evoke the cosmological nature of the subject, while “stars and comets, sunrays and bolts of lightning all jostle within the frame.” Archives Reference: ABLG W3781 Box 9/ 29 archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=21171841 More images celebrating Matariki 2015 can be found by searching with the keyword ‘Matariki’ Material from Archives New Zealand Caption information from Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, and Douglas Horrell’s ‘The Engaging Line: E. Mervyn Taylor’s Prints on Māori Subjects’ |
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| Source | Museum of New Zealand exhibition poster (1990) featuring artist E Mervyn Taylor | |||||||||||||||||||
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Archives New Zealand from New Zealand |
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This image was originally posted to Flickr by Archives New Zealand at https://flickr.com/photos/35759981@N08/18806763842 . It was reviewed on 8 September 2016 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-sa-2.0. |