Mana wahine/mana Māori/mana toi: Māori women's art within a kaupapa Māori art history 1980-1989

Abstract

At a time when second-wave feminist movements were gaining traction, and anti-apartheid movements were drawing attention to racism within and without New Zealand, identity and self-awareness became pertinent to minority groups, political activists and to the work of a number of contemporary Māori women artists. This thesis will consider the interaction of culture and gender identities within the work of a small selection of Māori women artists who were active during the politically charged backdrop of the late 1970s and 1980s. At this time, the work of painters Emily Karaka and Robyn Kahukiwa, filmmaker Merata Mita and painter and sculptor Shona Rapira Davies was characterised by an engagement with Western art-making practices in conjunction with Māori cultural values and an awareness of gender. By identifying themes shared within the work of these artists, this thesis will investigate how art history should go about including the work of contemporary Māori women, or rather, how Māori women can endeavour to develop their own art histories.

As well as art historical theory, this thesis draws upon kaupapa Māori and mana wahine theories which have been developed to give Māori a voice within research. Mana wahine theories acknowledge the complexities of Māori women’s identities in terms of their culture and gender while being underpinned by a Māori world view. This thesis adapts the tools developed by Māori women academics, such as Linda Tuhiwai-Smith, Ani Mikaere and Leonie Pihama, to consider Māori women’s art practice from a mana wahine perspective.

Each chapter in this thesis will focus on the work of specific artists. Each artist will be discussed in relationship to themes that underpin their work. These are: the Treaty of Waitangi and Māori land rights; the continued oppression of colonialism for Māori women; traditional and contemporary realities for Māori women; tino rangatiratanga; and mana wahine. This thesis will conclude by considering how art histories can be developed to reflect a deeper understanding of Māori women artists and their work.