HAWAI artist Roka Cameron took visitors on an interesting journey through Maori art and her own special methods this week.
The Opotiki Maori Women’s Welfare League’s kaumatua group were, on Tuesday, shown some of the intricacies of Maori designs while visiting the Hawai Marae.
League co-ordinator Bobby McCorkindale said the kaumatua group and its supporters were at the marae to learn about Mrs Cameron’s special coffin-making skills.
“We call them waka wairua,” she said.
However, the group also heard about the portrayal of ancient and more recent history through carvings and tukutuku panels.
Mrs Cameron explained that both skilled designers and skilled carvers were required for a successful carving.
Having learned to make garments from shark, eels, seals and even penguins, Mrs Cameron has also produced Maori cloaks by using a loom, learning the skill from Christine Keller in Dunedin.
From Australian elders, she has learned to produce cloaks from possum skins that are then used for recording history on, and from Solomon Islands elders she has learned how to create artworks from kelp.
“The penguin skins we have used are recycled skins from the Otago University,” Mrs Cameron said.
