Papaki kau ana ngā tai a Tangaroa, tēnei ka rongo ki te ngunguru o te tai e papaki kau nei i te ngutu awa o Te Wairoa Tāpokorau, puta atu nei ki tua o Te Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa, ki Hawaiki-nui, Hawaiki-roa, Hawaiki-pāmamao. Ka hura mai he uri o te awa o Te Wairoa-hōpūpū-hōnengenenge-mātangirau, ki uta e.

From a whānau of weavers and fishermen, Atareta’s practice draws on Mātauranga Māori and Taonga tuku iho to create works that are influenced by her whakapapa and the creative practices of her tīpuna. In 2020, under the guidance of her kuia and mentor Dante Bonica, Atareta started exploring traditional Māori fishing nets as an art form, with a specific focus on the construction techniques of kupenga made from harakeke.

He rākau rere ki uta, he rākau rere ki tai
Harakeke, whau, kohatu, pungapunga, kōkōwai

E taku pōtiki, kua puta mai rā koe i te toi i Hawaiki.

He anga onamata hei aronga anamata. Kua roa te iwi Māori e titiro ana ki ngā rā o nehe hei tikanga ako, hei huarahi akiaki, hei taputapu whakairo i te huarahi i roto i te ao anamata. Ko te kaupapa o aku mahi he tūhono i ngā āhuatanga o te ao tawhito me ngā āhuatnga o te ao hou, me te aro pū ki te pupuri i ngā taonga, me te whakatairanga i ngā mahi a ōku tīpuna hei tirohanga whakamua mo āku mahi auaha.

Ko ēnei mahi kupenga he mahi raranga Mātauranga Māori, he raranga whakapapa, he raranga kōrero tuku iho anō hoki. He mahi e āta tuitui i ngā hononga ki te Moana, te Whenua, waihoki te taiao.

I tua atu i ngā akoranga ringa rehe, he akoranga ā wairua, ā mātāpono anō hoki o roto i ēnei mahi. Mā ngā kōrero pūrākau, whakataukī, mōteatea hoki, e kite ai tātou i te hōhonutanga a te whakaaro Māori me te tirohanga a te Māori mō tōna noho i roto i tō tātou nei ao me te hononga o te tangata ki tōna taiao. Mā te titiro ki ngā taonga tawhito me ngā kōrero a ngā tipuna e taea ai tātou katoa te whai māramatanga hou ki ēnei taonga, he aha i pēnei ai rātou, ko wai hoki aku tipuna i tāroitia te moana nui na runga i te whakapono he oranga kei tua atu i Hawaiki. Ko wai hoki rātou i whakairohia mai i a rātou tapuwae i runga i te mata o te whenua. Te whenua i puritia, te whenua i tāwhia, te whenua i oatitia e rātou hei oranga mō tātou katoa. 

Mā tēnei toi ahau e whakatūturu anō i taku hononga ki taiao, mā aku mahi ahau e whakawhenua ai, e whakakanohi hoki i te rahi a ōku tipuna.  Ko ngā akoranga o ngā taonga tuku iho a o tātou matua tipuna, kei reira te oranga tonutanga mō tātou katoa.

— Atareta Rerekohu Black, Artist Statement

Toitū Te Moana is on at Tautai Gallery till June 4 2022