Pou whēnua in Picton tells story of spiritual ancestor, tribal chief and whaling history
Friday, 17 July 2020
A pou whēnua which tells stories of a spiritual ancestor, a tribal chief and Marlborough’s whaling history has been unveiled in Picton.
The “dignified” carved wooden post stands at the site of the former Te Ātiawa pā (village), next to the Picton Waitohi library.
Ropoama Te One was Te Ātiawa chief in 1850, when the New Zealand Government purchased Waitohi (Picton) and the tribe was relocated to Waikawa.
Descendants of Te One unveiled the pou whenua at a dawn ceremony on Friday.
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Spiritual ancestor Awanuiarāngi faces east on the pou, with a wide grin and paua shell eyes, while Ropoama Te One holds the opposite direction.
Master carver Pita Rua, of Ngatiawa and Tūhoe, was commissioned to create the pou, which also recognises the Te Tiriti o (treaty of) Waitangi that was signed by 27 Te Ātiawa chiefs in Kura Te Au, Tory Channel in May 1840.
Te Ātiawa trustee Harry Love said Marlborough’s whaling history was carved into the pou, signifying the many early whaling families, Māori and Pākehā, who were still in Picton today.
“To me it’s a place of reflection, for people to stop in this mad world and sit down for a minute,” Love said.
He said the pou had always been part of plans for the new library, which opened in late 2017.
Te Ātiawa cultural manager Amai Thompson said the pou recognised the significance of Waitohi, and the unity of all people in this rohe.
“At some stage our Waitohi pa was right here where we’re standing and talking now,” he said.
Te Ātiawa chairperson archdeacon Harvey Ruru said the unveiling took place during the Māori new year, Matariki.
“It’s a time of planting, it’s a time of remembering all those who have gone on before us.”
He told the mokopuna at the gathering, that they were kaitiaki or guardians for the pou whenua moving forward.
Marlborough deputy mayor and Picton resident Nadine Taylor said the pou marked the past, this moment in time, and the future.
“It marks our place here at the centre of the universe, Waitohi, and it marks our unity as a people and as a community.”
Former Queen Charlotte College head girl Erin Bunt, of Te Ātiawa, read the plaque at the unveiling.
Bunt later said she felt the pou brought her closer to the people.
“It ties us into everything,” she said.