After a year of collecting feathers from our rangatahi in Ōtepoti, our beautiful Korowai was assembled and will now adorn our wall.
As the Māori proverb notes: “Tuitui tangata, tuitui korowai” bringing people together is like weaving a cloak. Weaving korowai, a symbol of mana and respect, takes time and great skill, as does building enduring relationships. Our Korowai was started at the beginning of the year with a visit from our friends at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
Students were given feather templates to fill however they wanted. Feathers hold profound cultural significance in Maori tradition, adorning the majestic Korowai. Just as each feather in a Korowai tells a story, carrying the mana of the bird it comes from, our feathers carry the individuality and expression of our rangatahi.
Barbara Chartres and the Dunedin/Mata-Au team
Teacher/Kaiako
