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Cloaks and other weaving by five generations of the Hetet-Te Kanawa whanau have gone on display at the Waikato Museum.
Family spokesperson Dan Te Kanawa says the 300 people who turned up for Saturday’s opening is evidence of the way raranga can weave people together.
He says his mother Diggeress Te Kanawa and grandmother Rangimarie Hetet weren’t keen on publicity, but their greatest love was to see other people weaving and did what they could to encourage it.
That’s why Dame Rangimarie wrote the waiata E Nga Uri Whakatupu that gives the exhibition its name.
"She called my wife, wo is a teacher at the kura, and said 'I want you to get the kids to learn this waiata.' She identified then that the preservation of the taonga of weaving needed to be a challenge given to the rangatahi of New Zealand. They need to take responsibility for ensuring that it is kept alive rather than seeing it as an old persons thing," Mr Te Kanawa says.
E Nga Uri Whakatupu is on until July 28.
FOR THE FUILL INTERVIEW WITH DAN TE KANAWA CLICK ON THE LINK
http://www.waateanews.com/play_podcast?podlink=MTk2MDA=
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