Tuhoe Portrait of a nation.

Photo. Peter Quinn. Patrick 'Onion' Orupe.

Whats the deal with wanting to photograph and capture the images of Tuhoe?

As a naturally shy natured people Tuhoe seem to be the least obvious Maori who you would associate with “image” and Photography. When I Think of these 2 things and Maori, I think of Rotorua, or Waitangi every feburary 6. But Tuhoe?

Im Tuhoe, and naturally im reluctant to be in the lime light (which is a contradiction seeing I work in public engagement). My cousins, my uncles, aunties and even my father were very shy people.

So I am always interested to see the lens again turned on my people. Why? Is it because we are show ponies? No. Is it because we are a very attractive people? Well yes, but is that the reason? No.

Is it the outlaw, rebel image that Tuhoe has been associated with since our first contact with colonial pakeha? Is it because we were adherents to Te Kootis Ringatu? Or rebels who supported Rewi Maniapoto at Orakau to fight off the crown? Or is it because Tame Iti is the face of radical change in this country?

Or is it because Tuhoe conjure up images of the ‘other’ in this so called multi-cultural, bi-lingual Kiwi society that we live in? Maybe.

So I am always interested to see the lens again pointed at my people, and who is behind the lens? Pakeha the ‘other’ to Tuhoe.

So when Peter Quinn is pointing his lens at Tuhoe for his new Book with Kennedy Warne.

When Terry O’Connor produced his book Te Manawa o Tuhoe.

The same with Vincent Wards “In Spring one plants alone” which led him to produce his film “The Rain of the Children”. 

All these people drawn to capture the images and stories of my people. Our Images and stories framed and edited to fit into boxes labelled ‘exotic’ or ‘dangerous’ and with a story that is told from the perspective of outsiders.

What stories do Tuhoe want to have told? 

I mean the things that may excite me at home aren’t the things that would sell books.

Stories from the kauta, pictures of the ringawera, of the quiet people, of the quiet places. These are the things that I would want to see and maybe even buy. And why not when we have these pakeha authors making money telling our stories and showing our people.

Maybe I just can’t see what makes our people so interesting but I hope that the next book will tell a Tuhoe story told by a Tuhoe.