Riki Manuel, a tohunga in whakairo (Māori carving) and tā moko (tattooing), has been honoured for more than five decades of work in the traditional and contemporary Māori art industry, helping to drive a renaissance of Māori art.
Appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King’s Birthday honours, Manuel told Breakfast his two phones had been ringing off the hook since the announcement yesterday.
“[It’s been] a bit overwhelming. I'm trying to figure it out what it all means.”
The 65-year-old said he’s even heard from people who still has some of his work that was commissioned back in the 1980s.
“I'm really humbled by the fact that people locally recognised me and nominated me, you know? Ngāi Tahu have been very supportive of me all my career.”
The Christchurch-based artist was drawn to Māori art from a young age. He graduated from the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua after a three-year apprenticeship and moved south.
While the thought to get “a real job” crossed his mind at the time, he found that by doing his art it eventually became his job.
“[I’ve] been making a living out of it ever since and I'm grateful for those teachings that I got,” he said.
He said the development of Māori art has been “quite noticeable” in Ōtautahi.
“Where once upon a time you'd walk around and you wouldn't see any [Māori art] – you would see nothing, you know? But now it's everywhere.
“There's a lot of people employed, a lot of Māori artists employed these days, full-time, and that's something. It's amazing.”
Manuel said he was happy to mentor up and coming carvers and artists, encouraging them in their pursuit and letting them know it was a real occupation – “not a hobby”.
He said young artists of the kōhanga reo generation had a significant advantage.
“I think the reo is quite important in anything that you do in Māori culture, even in carving and that.
“Unfortunately, I was born in an era where that was not a lot of it around. They didn't have kōhanga, they didn't have kura kaupapa, so they've got a bit of an advantage, that generation, these days. With the language it gives them confidence to do anything Māori.”
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