Wetlands wānanga: ngā taonga mahinga kai

28 April 2022. Free entry.

Thursday 28 April, 6pm - 7pm
Venue: Tūranga Library

Join us for a casual wānanga at Tūranga Library. The focus of this event is a taonga of Ōtautahi—the swamp. Swamps and other wetland environments found in Ōtautahi are part of mahinga kai, a concept that encompasses the how, what, where, when and why of gathering natural resources. We will be looking at taonga from the Tūranga collection related to mahinga kai that are used for, or made from, the natural resources collected.

Māia Abraham (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngā Rauru) and Maatakiwi Wakefield (Kāi Tahu whānui, Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Maniapoto) of the Māori Library Services will be sharing their knowledge on mahinga kai (mahika kai) and the relationship between Ngāi Tahu and the significant wetlands within the Ōtautahi area.

The idea for this event came from a conversation with Owen Connors, Laura Duffy, and Aliyah Winter, the artists of For the feral splendour at The Physics Room, an exhibition which looked to what lies outside and beneath the urban built environment, and our relationships with the natural world. Unfortunately, due to the uncertain times, this event was unable to happen alongside the exhibition. However, learning about the land that the gallery sits on, and the place we may call home will always have relevance, and we are glad to be able to continue this research through conversation.

We will be following the current covid protocol for this event, maintaining social distancing and wearing masks. Email physicsroom@physicsroom.org.nz to register as spaces are limited.