The Ballad of Tūhaitara, Jonathan Smart Gallery, Ōtautahi Christchurch, 2015
The show’s title conjures narrative and whakapapa. This is The ballad of Tūhaitara. A fierce and independent ancestor of Tuhuriri, Tūhaitara was a woman of strength and mana whose marriage, children and tragic end is significant in Ngai Tahu history and its origins on the east coast of the North Island and consequent migration south.
Tūhaitara would have enjoyed support from women in her battles against Marukore her husband; and here they are, Tuahine te aroha I – III, like the three Graces poised and pinned to the wall. Tūhaitara, a woman of many stories, remains a role model today. One gets the feeling that Lonnie Hutchinson is just beginning to relish re-telling her story.
