Mana to mean strength, authority, and determination. Māna is to refer to him/her, he/she. Mana Māna is the action of passing on, to give to, the mana. It could be understood as the thread that binds wāhine and tīpuna wahine, providing strength and guidance in times of pō.

– Kim Ireland

In this new series of work, Kim Ireland utilises uku (clay) to produce a variety of forms that refer back to the natural shapes of the gourd in growth. This myriad of ceramics provide an analogy for whakapapa (genealogy) in the gourd as a container of knowledge passed down through generations, and a representation of personhood when considering these objects as a whānau (family) group.

It is to mana wāhine atua (powerful women deities) that Ireland looks to in challenging times. Just as these works spring forth directly from the whenua (land), they remind us that this is also the ultimate origins of people. Vessels for pūrakau (stories) they hold a plenitude of wisdom that the atua offer, imparted through the act of shaping clay.

Main image: (L-R) Hine-nui-te-pō, uku (Dark Matter), Hine-ahu-one, raku,Hine-ahu-one, raku. (2024). Image credit: Melissa Banks.