Reihana Parata QSM (born 1937; also known as Aunty Doe) is a New Zealand Māori tohunga raranga (master weaver) from the Ngāi Tahu iwi.[1][2] For 11 years Parata was matron at the Te Waipounamu Māori Girls' College in Christchurch.
Reihana Parata | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1937 (age 86–87) New Zealand |
| Known for | Weaving |
Biography edit
Parata grew up in Lyttelton, near Christchurch, New Zealand, and attended Lyttelton West Primary School where she first started weaving.[1]
In 1978, she was appointed matron at Te Waipounamu Māori Girls' College Christchurch, a position she held for 11 years.[3] The focus of the college was on providing an education for Māori girls. While there, weaver Emily Schuster visited the college to teach the students weaving skills and Parata learnt alongside them.[1]
Parata is a member of the Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa (National Collective of Māori Weavers in New Zealand). In 2008 Parata gained formal acknowledgement of her master weaver status in Aotearoa by being appointed to Te Kāhui Whiritoi by the management committee of Te Roopu Raranga Whatu and the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute at Te Puia.[4]
In 2016, Parata and Morehu Flutey-Henare worked together to design woven mats of welcome which were installed using coloured paving stones in the rebuild of the Bridge of Remembrance area in central Christchurch.[5][6][7]
Recognition edit
In the 1990 Birthday Honours list, Parata was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for public services, in recognition of her services to weaving.[8]
Works edit
Collaborations:
References edit
- ^ a b c Revington, Kaituhi Mark (5 April 2015). "The art of weaving". Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Parata, Reihana". Find New Zealand Artists. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ Tumataroa, Phil (5 October 2017). "Te Ao o te Māori". Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Kahui Whiritoi". Toi Māori Aotearoa. 2020. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "About Us - Partners". Ōtākaro Limited. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Ngā Whāriki Manaaki". Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ Brankin, Kaituhi Anna (3 April 2016). "Bringing soul to the rebuild". Matapopore Charitable Trust. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday honours 1990 - The Queen's Service Medal for Public Services" (PDF). New Zealand Gazette. No. 108. 29 June 1990. p. 2247. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2023.
- ^ a b Evans, Miriama; Ngarimu, Ranui (2005). The Art of Maori Weaving: The Eternal Thread. Photography by Norman Heke. Wellington, New Zealand: Huia Publishers. p. 46.48. ISBN 1-869691-61X. OCLC 727985796.