Learning Through Observation

“He mātai nō Hinewaoriki”

Hine-wao-riki is one of the wahine (woman) of Tāne and they together brought into being the mataī tree. (black pine – prumnopitys taxifolia) 

I’ve created this whakatauki (Māori proverb) to express my curiosity with nature as a methodology of learning through observation. Grounded in a Māori world view, an intrinsic connection to nature, it is also how I approach my nature photography and all that I create with nature.

Gardening and being in nature has taught me to pause, to observe with curiosity, something I learnt as a child when I used to wander (wonder) through the bush alone, now I am remembering.

The word mātai – macron above the first ‘a’ means to observe, inspect, examine, investigate; but here I am referring specifically to the act of observation and documenting through words and photography.

Mātai is also a word that is used for someone who stares at something for a long period of time, in this case in awe of something before them. A curiosity, a longing to know more, prompting new questions.

So the whakatauki “He mataī nō Hine-wao-riki” could be looked at from the perspective of the mataī tree being the offspring of Hine, or myself as a mātai – someone who is also of te wao nui a Tāne (the great forest of Tāne), if we understand our intrinsic connection to nature.

“Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au.”

“I am the river and the river is me.”

I tried to find a whakatauki that speaks about the way in which we observe nature and the many teachings we are presented with daily while we are observing. Also, the way in which nature teaches us about resilience and adaptability and how we can learn by watching, with less interference. But, I didn’t find one, so I used my knowledge of te reo Māori and made one up!

So as an artist, this is how I approach creating with nature. It is a collaboration, a symbiotic relationship. I understand nature as being a reflection of me; nature is teacher, nature is healer, nature is creativity.

And if you’ve ever come across an artwork of mine, (or I’ve been blessed to have you own a piece of my work), it’s highly likely, there is a nature element in there.

PS – I have one image of a mataī tree, that I am yet you find! So when I can find it I will post it here! 

Notes

Mātai – means to observe, inspect, examine, investigate, note, scan

Mataī – black pine, Prumnopitys taxifolia – a coniferous, long-lived native tree of lowland forest with small, narrow leaves arranged in two rows, hammer-marked trunk and pale timber. Ripe seed is a deep blue-black with a pale purplish bloom.