For over 15 years, Tāmihana has been involved in the reinvigoration of Taonga Puoro within the Wellington region. As a carver of wood, stone and bone Tāmihana has spent this time focusing on the study and recreation of traditional Taonga Puoro, with the intent of reintroducing and strengthening its use within traditional Māori cultural practices.
Tāmihana has lead and taught many community-based wānanga exploring the creation of Taonga Puoro, their associated pūrakau(stories) and their use as musical instruments. Outside of this environment, he has also frequented Te Kōkī, The New Zealand School Of Music, as a guest lecturer in Ethnomusicology studies and as a teacher of performance, particularly within Haka, moteatea and Taonga Puoro.
Tāmihana’s passion for Tikanga and Te Reo have lead him to the composition of karakia and moteatea, specifically used to encapsulate and retain the knowledge pertaining to Taonga Puoro. These resources will serve as a set of tools to ensure that intergenerational learnings will be passed on from our tūpuna.
Herea ngā hana o te Rā ki te tenga o te korokoro.
Mauri Tū,
Mauri Oro,
Mauri Ora!
