The Future of Whare Tapere – Tangata Whenua ‘Houses’ of Storytelling and other entertainments

Since convening a number of whare tapere upon my kāinga

in Hauraki (Waimangō, 2010-14), I have been approached numerous times regarding the use of aspects of the whare tapere - including the name and associated terms - in a variety of performing arts and theatre settings. For example, Te Pou Theatre in Henderson recently discussed the use of the term in some of its programming material. In 2018, the New Zealand Festival discussed using the term prior to the 2018 Festival and ‘whare tapere’ also appears in the new strategy for Māori Arts created by Creative New Zealand. This is a small number of examples that demonstrate an increasing interest in the whare tapere.

This blogpost was written in response to these various approaches and sets out my thoughts regarding the use of the term ‘whare tapere’ in iwi and non-iwi settings. The paper discusses my views regarding how the term ought to be used today and in doing so, it includes a discussion regarding the future of the whare tapere overall, as I see it.

Key Point

Unfortunately, a continuously convened whare tapere tradition does not currently exist and has not existed since the 19th century. Some aspects of the traditional whare tapere do appear in the modern ‘Māori concert party’ and the contemporary kapa haka but many do not. Given the fragility of the whare tapere today, I am reluctant to see the proliferation of the use of these terms in settings outside of iwi/hapū/whānau communities until such a contemporary tradition does exist. A key feature of this envisaged contemporary tradition is the confirmation of the meaning of these terms aligned to the history of the whare tapere itself, the histories and aspirations of iwi/hapū/whānau communities and, indeed, meanings found within the Māori language. Such a contemporary tradition ought to be established within iwi/hapū/whānau communities first for the knowledge and practices of the whare tapere in history belong to those communities. It is they who should benefit first from any initiatives to advance the whare tapere today.

Whare Tapere in History

Historically, whare tapere were iwi/hapū/whānau located and convened ‘houses’ of storytelling and other entertainments. It was a place where these communities told stories to one another, played games, performed on musical instruments and puppets and much more. And all of this was to be conducted under the guiding principle expressed as follows:

Kia kawea tātou e te rēhia.

Let us be taken by joy and entertainment.

Hence, the whare tapere was a place of joy and entertainment, where iwi/hapū/whānau told stories to one another and indulged in all manner of games, pastimes and entertainments. Whare Tapere were convened at a variety of locations – such as an open field, or at the base of a tree – and it appears that special structures were not created for the whare tapere (unlike the whare wānanga, for example). Hence, the word ‘whare’ was used figuratively in the activities of the ‘whare tapere’.

One of the features of the historical whare tapere was that it was the only institution of pā-villages (that I am aware of) where all members of the community could attend. All other pā institutions – such as the whare wānanga, whare rūnanga, whare pora, whare-tū-taua and so on - were exclusive and were set aside for a particular section of the community and not for all. The whare tapere, on the other hand, was for the community as a whole. All could attend and participate.

A second and important aspect of the whare tapere was that the community of the whare tapere was defined by the district or geographic area of that community - the area or district of land in which they held ‘mana whenua’ and are recognised by others as the tangata whenua of that area. Hence, the whare tapere was an institution of the tangata whenua and used as a means to perpetuate and strengthen mana whenua.

The link between land and the whare tapere is found in the word ‘tapere’, an old word for district or territory. It is not often used here in Aotearoa but examples do exist, such as ‘Te Taperenui-o-Whātonga’ (‘Whātonga’s great area’) in northern Wairarapa and Motutapere, an island in the Coromandel. There are other examples too. Tapere is an older Polynesian word and perhaps the most well-known use of the term is in Rarotonga, where the island is divided by a number of districts or tapere.

A whare tapere, therefore, is a ‘house of a district’. Because, in the traditional tangata whenua worldview, people and land are one, tapere refers to both a geographic area and the people of that area. Ultimately, the whare tapere existed to foster the tangata whenua of a particular district, the people who possess the ‘mana whenua’ of that area. It was a ‘community house’ where rēhia inspired storytelling, entertainments and other activities took place.

Whare Tapere Today and Going Forward – The Making of a New Tradition

It has been my aspiration that the whare tapere once again become a feature of iwi life throughout the country - and that we create whare tapere in much the same way as we have established kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa, whare kura and whare wānanga, business enterprises (such as tourism activities) and other initiatives, all under the umbrella of our iwi communities. Similarly, I have thought it possible to create a contemporary whare tapere tradition and practice in much the same way as our taonga pūoro leaders have created contemporary taonga pūoro practice and tradition (based upon research concerning taonga pūoro in history).

In convening whare tapere today, I feel it important that the whare tapere speaks and relates meaningfully to the issues, challenges and opportunities facing iwi/hapū/whānau communities today - this is so that it remains relevant and our community members find value in it. We will not be able to sustain the whare tapere if it does not present value to our people, if it does not address what is happening to our people today - and the opportunities and challenges facing them in the future.

One of the key issues - perhaps the most critical issue - facing iwi/hapū/whānau/marae communities today is disunity and fragmentation. Experiences of migration, land loss, diminishment of iwi estates, loss of power and much more has led these communities into their current fragmented and conflicted state. These experiences have produced a lack of trust internally in our communities - in our representative structures and in each other. There is an ongoing conflict regarding expertise and sources of authoritative knowledge (particularly with respect to mātauranga Māori) and a worrying lack of decision making skill, discipline and capability. 

The picture is not entirely negative, however, as these communities continue to exist and function (despite extraordinary odds) and, in some cases, have achieved significant things - such as kōhanga reo. When we think about, for example, the settlement of Treaty claims and how this can bring new possibilities to a people, we see that iwi communities do possess capabilities. (Recognising, too, that Treaty claim settlement processes have created enormous conflict in our communities - we are not achieving the healing and a sense of justice, vindication and achievement that is our due.)

There is much work to do concerning kotahitanga and whanaungatanga within our iwi/hapū/whānau communities, particularly at the level of relationships between iwi members. I feel that the modern whare tapere ought to be clearly focused upon how it can contribute to fostering the unity-kotahitanga and, hence, mana of these communities and in an ongoing way. (Kotahitanga is a journey not a destination, as we like to say).

To this end, I see three needs:

• The need to provide joyful, uplifting and entertaining experiences within iwi communities for iwi members
• The need for our people to hear our stories about ourselves and the world we experience and in an ongoing way
• The need to increase our experience and confidence with creating and sustaining creative enterprises

In addressing these needs, we will foster positive relationships and whanaungatanga amongst our communities. 

I feel it important that our communities invest in activities that are fundamentally joyful in orientation - that our people experience their iwi communities not just as a place of conflict and where serious things take place (like tangihanga, for example) but also where wondrous and joyful things take place as well. Conveniently, this aligns with the kaupapa of the whare tapere expressed in ‘kia kawea tātou e te rēhia’.

With respect to hearing our stories, it is not too much to say that our people have been ‘starved’ of nourishing kōrero about ourselves - our histories as a people, our identities, our experiences. It recognises that there is a great yearning within our people for authoritative and high-quality presentations of our stories and in an ongoing way.  It also acknowledges that one of the key features of colonisation was the erasure of our stories about ourselves. In losing our stories, we lose sight of ourselves and our experiences and, hence, we lose our very identity as a people.

Finally, after such a long history of loss, our people (as iwi, hapū, whānau) have also been starved of success. Yes there have been successes in the iwi world since the 19th century, but it is fair to say that many iwi/hapū/whānau/marae communities have not experienced tremendous and ongoing success. There is a need to build the confidence of our communities with respect to dreaming dreams, articulating goals and aspirations and achieving them. This contributes significantly to a sense of community cohesion, pride and identity.

Given these ideas, this is how I describe the whare tapere today and into the future:

• A whare tapere is a place where tangata whenua communities (iwi, hapū whānau, marae) tell stories and entertain one another in a rēhia inspired way. This is done so as to foster the identity, unity and mana of those communities. 
• The whare tapere is a place where these communities tell their stories about their history, identity and experiences. It is a way of reflecting back to themselves their understanding of the world, themselves and their experiences.
• As the purpose of the whare tapere is to foster the identity, unity and mana of tangata whenua communities, the audience and participants in the whare tapere are primarily members of those communities. However, much value is gained by those communities when they present their stories to others as well.
• Similarly, whilst the work of the whare tapere is to tell the stories of that tangata whenua community, from time to time the whare tapere may also present stories from elsewhere, particularly where those stories align to and/or are relevant to a matter of importance to those communities.
• The contemporary whare tapere draws inspiration from the whare tapere in history; however, it is free to fashion new approaches to storytelling, entertainments and performances to successfully appeal to contemporary audiences and community members so long as it adheres to the two foundational ideas of ‘whare tapere’ and ‘Kia kawea tātou e te rēhia.’

Use of these terms and aspects of the whare tapere outside of iwi communities

Given these ideas, I do not support the use of the terms whare tapere (and associated terms such as whare mātoro and whare karioi) in non-iwi settings and for the following reasons:

• The histories and traditions of the whare tapere in history belong to iwi/hapū/whānau communities. Therefore, it is those communities who should benefit from the use of whare tapere and its knowledge in the first instance
• Knowledge, understanding and the identity of the whare tapere today exists in a fragile state. There is no widespread and shared understanding of the whare tapere and its various aspects. Taking the creativity of the whare tapere into non-iwi settings (such as the ‘theatre’) runs the risk of misrepresenting the meanings of these terms and the entire whare tapere tradition.

I recognise that the name ‘whare tapere’ already appears in a number of non-iwi locations - such as at the Academy of Performing Arts, Waikato University and the rehearsal space used by the band Herbs, located in Kingsland, Auckland. As I say, I generally do not support this concerned as I am with how the richness of the whare tapere tradition can be lost when this is done. Unfortunately, there are numerous examples where the richness of mātauranga Māori has been inhibited from expression by uplifting Māori words with little understanding. Perhaps the most well-known example (from the field of performings arts and theatre) is the translation of the word haka as ‘war dance’. Haka is continuously translated in this way in the public sphere. Haka simply means ‘dance’ and, as a verb, haka means ‘dancing’ or ‘to dance’. There are many other examples too - such as the use of the terms ‘whare wānanga’ in our universities - and the view that the months of the Maramataka are equivalent to the months of the Gregorian/solar calendar. As our interest in mātauranga Māori grows, so our disciplines concerning the use of this knowledge ought to grow too.

The histories, traditions and literature of the whare tapere - as incomplete and fragmented as our current understanding of it is - represents a tremendous opportunity for our iwi communities, one we should seize upon and yield with great enthusiasm!

Author

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal (Marutūahu, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngā Puhi) completed doctoral studies concerning the whare tapere at Victoria University of Wellington in 1998. He established Ōrotokare: Art, Story, Motion Trust in 2004 as a vehicle to advance the modern whare tapere and between 2010 to 2014, convened four whare tapere within his iwi/hapū/whānau community (Ngāti Whanaunga, Te Whānau-a-Haunui) at Waimangō Point, on the Firth of Thames, Hauraki.

How to cite this blogpost

'The Future of Whare Tapere - Tangata Whenua 'Houses' of Storytelling and other entertainments' by Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal. Published to the 'Aro-Mind' blog by Charles Royal, 3 October 2019. (aromind.blogspot.com)

Copyright

(c) C Royal 2019. Except for reasonable quoting for research purposes (where the quote is cited and sourced correctly), no part or whole of this blogpost may be reproduced in any form without permission.