Reclaiming Our Voices: Karanga Taonga, Karanga Tangata, Karanga Whenua
On Thursday 27 November 2025 (4:00–6:00pm), Te Papa will host the lecture titled “Karanga taonga, karanga tangata, karanga whenua | Reversing Cultural Amnesia: Activating Māori Practice in Museums” – delivered by Dr Awhina Tamarapa. The event forms part of the Michael Volkerling Memorial Lecture series at Te Papa, in partnership with the Museum and Heritage Studies programme at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington and National Services Te Paerangi.
What’s the focus?
Dr Tamarapa – of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Ruanui descent—is a distinguished Māori curator, cultural researcher and writer. In this lecture she turns her attention to the role of museums in reawakening Indigenous cultural practices, asking how museums can move beyond being mere repositories to becoming dynamic spaces of whakapapa, memory, taonga-agency and cultural resurgence.
She highlights key themes such as:
- The imperative to revive taonga Māori – including forms such as taonga pūoro (singing treasures) and karetao (traditional animated storytellers) – for new generations.
- The concept of “keeping taonga warm” and recognising the mana of taonga and their tūpuna custodians, especially in overseas collections.
- Drawing on Indigenous research collaborations (such as with First Nations in Canada and the UK) to build pathways for cultural governance, knowledge reclaiming and Indigenous self-determination in museum contexts.
Why this matters for Haumanu Collective
For the Haumanu Collective, this event underscores our commitment to the resurgence of Māori music, sound-art, and Taonga Pūoro as living vehicles of wellbeing, culture and innovation. Here’s how it aligns with our kaupapa:
- Our work acknowledges Taonga Pūoro not just as instruments, but as whakapapa-woven soundscapes and healing media. Dr Tamarapa’s lecture echoes that lens — urging institutions to awaken Māori practices rather than archive them.
- The talk invites us to consider how museums and cultural spaces can be transformed: from passive spaces of display to active sites of Māori practice, storytelling, sound-making and cultural continuity. This resonates with Haumanu’s vision of creating wānanga, digital platforms and networks where Māori music and mātauranga thrive.
- Haumanu’s own work with taonga, practitioners and rangatahi aligns with the call for descendant engagement, agency, co-governance and cultural reclaiming in heritage institutions. This event amplifies that deeper institutional shift.
Moving Forward
Following the lecture, Haumanu Collective intends to leverage the impetus by:
- Capturing key learnings and reflections from Dr Tamarapa’s talk for internal kaupapa-planning.
- Exploring potential partnerships with institutions like Te Papa and other cultural heritage bodies to embed taonga pūoro-focused initiatives into museum-practice realms.
- Developing a public-facing piece (podcast, interview or panel) where we engage Dr Tamarapa (or other cultural practitioners) on how taonga pūoro and Māori music can inject fresh vitality into museum spaces, education and community practice.
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