Review (te Reo Māori): The Dark Is Light Enough: Ralph Hotere - A Biographical Portrait

Nā Matariki Williams tēnei arotakenga

Nā Parekura Pēwhairangi i whakamāori

E rua ngā kōrero nui mō te ringa toi kua riro, mō Hone Papita Raukura (Ralph) Hotere (nō Te Aupōuri, nō Te Rarawa hoki), tuatahi, ko te kōrero i kaha tōaitia e ia, e mea ana he ringa toi, engari he mea tūpono noa iho tana Māoritanga, ka rua, ko tōna ngākau tōngā ki te whakapuaki kōrero mō āna mahi. He pērā rawa te nui o ēnei kupu i te pakiwaitara o Hotere, ka pērā hoki tā te tangata titiro ki āna mahi i te nuinga o te wā. Nā konei i whai take ai te āpitihanga o tā Vicent O'Sullivan haurongo hou mō Hotere, ki te pakiwaitara o tētahi o ngā hautipua o Aotearoa i te ao toi.

Ko tā The Dark is Light Enough, me tōna ingoa tuarua, me 'A Biographical Portrait', he whakaatu i te katoa o tētahi tāne i maumaharatia rā e ōna hoa, e tōna whānau hoki hei ringa marae, hei kanohi hōmiromiro hoki ki ana mahi toi. Hei tā O'Sullivan, ka noho mai ia hei rāwaho i a ia e tuhi ana i tēnei haurongo, ā, e rua ngā take i pērā ai: ehara ia i te Māori, ehara hoki ia i te kaituhi hītori ā-toi. Heoi anō, ko te manako ia ka kite mai a O'Sullivan, ki a au, ki tētahi Māori, ehara hoki i te kaipānui hītori ā-toi, ahakoa tana noho hei rāwaho e kore ōna whakaaro e kīia he kikokore. Otirā, ko tētahi tauira i tere kitea e au, ko te koi o te āhua o tana whakatakoto i te hītori o te ao waihanga, whakaaturanga hoki i kitea rā e Hotere i a ia i Ūropi. Inā te hōhonu o ēnei kōrero, me te kore i ngaro i a O'Sullivan te tāera tuhi whakamīharo nei ka whakamahia e ia.

Ākuni pea, nā te korenga o O'Sullivan i noho hei kaituhi hītori ā-toi i mārama ai ia ki te hiranga o te tohatoha i ngā kōrero mō ngā hononga whānui o Hotere i taua wā rā ki ngā kaipānui. I a ia i tāwāhi, āe, i kaha tana toro atu ki ngā kaupapa toi ataata e pupū ake ana, engari i pūmau tonu ana hononga ki ētahi Māori, ki ētahi tāngata o Aotearoa ake i Ūropi hoki i taua wā. Ko tētahi, ko tana hui ki a Ruia Morrison, te Māori tuatahi, te wahine tuatahi o Aotearoa hoki i tākaro ki Wimipiritona. Ahakoa te iti o tēnei wāhanga, i koa te ngākau i te pānuitanga atu nā runga anō i te mana nui o Morrison me tōna anō kōrero. He tohu tēnei o te āhua o tā O'Sullivan kōrero mō ngā tāngata i tāna whakaahua o Hotere: he wāhi nui tō tēnā tangata me tēnā, he rite tonu hoki ki tō Hotere whakaaro nui ki a rātou.

Heoi anō, kia hoki atu au ki aua kōrero nui rā i puta i mua mō te āhua ki tā Hotere whakanoho i a ia anō hei ringatoi. Mārehe ana te tuhia o ngā kōrero e O'Sullivan mō Hotere me tōna hononga ki tōna whānau; e mārama ana ia ki te hononga o Hotere ki tōna kāinga, ahakoa tana whakatau kia tawhiti te noho i te wāhi i whānau mai ai ia, otirā, te wāhi i tāpukengia ai ia. E mārama ana ngā Māori huhua kua hūnuku atu i ō rātou kāinga ki tēnei hononga, kaua mā te tawhiti o te noho te hōhonutanga o tō hononga ki te kāinga e whakakōrero. Nā te kaha hoki o te whakawākia o āna mahi, ahakoa kāore i kaha pērātia e Hotere tonu, me pēhea e kore ai te tangata e hōhā i te kaha o ngā pātai mō te korenga o ētahi tohu Māori ake nei i āna mahinga toi. Ko te manako, ka whakamoea e tēnei tuhinga a O'Sullivan te ui makihoi e pātai ana mēnā i Māori āna mahi, kāore rānei. 

I te pānuitanga o ngā kōrero mō ngā mate nui i te whānau o Hotere, arā, ko te matenga o tōna tuakana, o Jack, rātou ko ōna mātua, ko Ana Maria rāua ko Tangirau, me te pānga atu ki āna mahi, ka titikaha ki te manawa. He mea whakapuaki tēnei mamae i roto i te Sangro series, ko tētahi wāhanga hoki kei te tiakina e tōna tuahine, e Charlotte, ā, kei roto rā tētahi whakaahua o Hotere i te rua tūpāpaku o Jack i Ūropi, ko ngā pirepire īnoi a tōna māmā kei tōna ringa. Ki a au nei, ahakoa ngā kōrero ka puta i a wai ake, i a Hotere, i a au tonu rānei, inā kē te Māori o te whakaahua o tētahi whānau e tauawhiawhi ana i a rātou anō i te wā o te pōuri, tatū atu hoki ki tā Hotere kawe i tōna whānau ki te tangi ki a Jack. Koinei tētahi atu tauira o te mōmona o tā O'Sullivan tuhinga; ehara i te mea me hōhonu tana whakamārama i te ao o Ralph, mā ngā kōrero tonu e mārama ai.

Me he āhuatanga kotahi hei kapo ake mā ngā kaipānui katoa o te pukapuka nei, ko te hiahia kia mōhio rātou, katoa ngā tāngata nā rātou ētahi kōrero i tāpae atu i kōrero mō te ngākau nui o Hotere. I kaha tana mahi ki ētahi atu, me tana whakaaro nui ki tēnei mea te 'mahi tahi', ā, i nui tana hoatu. E hia kē nei ngā kōrero ka whakatakotoria e ōna hoa me tōna whānau ki te pukapuka, mō ngā taonga i hoatu e Hotere ki a rātou, he māpihi pounamu nā te ringa toi māika noa, engari ko tōna ngākau ia he mārire, he mātau. Nā runga anō i te nui o ngā mahi i hangaia mai e ia hei urupare ki ētahi kaupapa nui ki tōna ngākau - pēnei i ngā mate me ētahi atu mea e whakaatu mai nei i tōna wairua whakatumatuma - nō reira, e waingōhia ana te kite ake, i kaha tana whakatakoto whakaaro, engari he mea whakatakoto i āna mahi. Ko te mea nui pea, ko te korenga ōna i kōrero mō āna mahi ake, e pai ai tā te tangata kimi i tōna anō māramatanga. Nā te kawa o Hotere ki ngā āhuatanga hongehongeā o te ao toi, i roto i ngā tuhinga whakawā toi, i whai wāhi ai hoki ngā mea kāore i paingia e ia, engari he nui ngā whakatinanatanga o ērā. Ko tētahi o aku tino kōrero i te pukapuka, he kōrero mō tōna kōkā ka puta atu i tētahi whakaaturanga o ana mahi, he kore nōna i kite i te hua o ana mahi peita, me te mea nei he toenga papa kua waiho noa ki te rūma. Nā, he koanga ngākau anō te kite i tētahi wāhi o te puka a O'Sullivan mō te reo o ngā kaiwhakawā rongonui, otirā, ngā kaiwhakawā mārō rawa atu, te whānau.

Ka mutu i konei me tēnei kōrero mākohakoha, nā te mea e tika ana kia nui ake te mōhiotia, tēnā i te mōhio ki te Ralph Hotere i kōrerotia i taku whakatakinga. E pai ai hoki tā tātou titiro ki te wāhanga ariari katoa, nā te mea kāore e kitea, arā, ko ngā mahi ake a Hotere tonu. Kāore he tāruatanga o āna mahi e kitea i te pukapuka, ā, e tuhia ana tēnei i muri tata iho i te putanga mai o tētahi pūrongo i te Sunday Star Times, i whakapau kaha ki te whakamārama he aha i hunaia ai tēnei wāhanga o Hotere i ngā kaipānui. O ngā mea katoa i pānuitia mō Hotere i tēnei whakapuakanga haumako, kāore te tamōtanga o ana mahinga toi i hāngai ki tāna i whakapono ai ā-ringatoi nei, ā-tangata nei hoki. Ahakoa tērā, nā tēnei taonga ātaahua i rangiwhāwhā ake ai taku mōhio ki tētahi ringa toi, ko āna mahi e ngākaunuitia ana e au.He mihi aroha ki a koe Vincent, ki te whānau Hotere, ki a koe Andrea, ki te tokomaha hoki o ngā hoa o Rau. Kei te ora tonu a Rau i roto i a koutou.

Nā Matariki Williams tēnei arotakenga 

Nā Parekura Pēwhairangi i whakamāori