Ngamako Rota: Te oorokohanga mai o te tangi o te mooteatea

In November 1863, warriors of the Kiingitanga defended Rangiriri against invading British colonial forces. In November 2023, Ngamako Rota assembled an all-wahine ensemble to welcome whaanau and guests at the trenches in Rangiriri. Te oorokohanga mai o te tangi o te mooteatea attends to the entanglement of waiata, te reo o te taiao, forms of mourning, and the ongoing violence of colonial histories in the contemporary.

The two films in the exhibition are records of this kaupapa at Rangiriri. Together, they build on the whakapapa of mooteatea, and connect its frequencies to the sonic motion of iro and ngaro. Te Aao Maarama and E Rongo e are simultaneous events. Ngamako receives her moko kauae in the manawa of the space; the performers, atop the trenches, etch the dirt and move as iro, then shed their outer layers to metamorphose into ngaro as another expression of meaning.

Ngamako Rota (Waikato, Ngaati Mahuta) is an artist, actor and director from Rangiriri. Ngamako holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts from Toi Whakaari (2019) and graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts with an MFA in 2023. She was the recipient of a Māoriland Pitch Award in 2021 and a Ngā Manu Pīrere Award in 2022.