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Discovering how to be more engaging and attuned with the forest

Campfire-like experience

Soil box for tree planting

Tree hugging 

Activating your senses: touch, hear, sight, and smell

Scavenging for whatever object can be found in the forest and learning about it

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Inspiration board

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Tane Mahuta tree on Twin Coast Discovery Highway

This is the decided location for the shipping container as seen above. The placement of the container is a crucial part of the story telling. People come out of the shipping container and become more appreciative of the TaneMahuta tree having known of its past and cultural links.

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There is more than meets the eye

“Doing things better” - Conformative - Tending to conform; abiding by rules, laws, or social conventions. 

“Doing better things” - Reformative - Providing assistance or serving a useful function. 

“Seeing things differently” - Transformative - causing a marked change in someone or something.

Maori Values that can be observed and put into practice:

Kaitiakitanga (environmental guardianship)

Arohatanga (the notion of care, respect, love, compassion)

whakapapa (ancestral lineage, genealogical connections, relationships, links to ecosystems)

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Objectives

What is the problem / issue / information that you are addressing?

The forest is a natural gift that is finite and can’t easily be replaced. The objective of the project is to make people more aware of our actions and appreciative of the forest along its inhabitants. The whole project is centered around the Purakau of Tane Mahuta entailing the importance of the forest since the beginning of time. The incorporation of Maori values throughout the learning experience of the narrative is to help us grow and develop in the right direction. People have to come out of this gaining knowledge of Maori culture and begin to nurture the forest more than they did before entering. 

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Reading: Scales of Narrative

Key takeaway points from the reading:

·       “Narrative is a key process in making sense of oneself and the world.” We discovery our identity in exposure to all kinds of stories; fiction or non-fiction

·       Storytelling heightens when you begin to incorporate a wide range of sensory such as rhythm, form, sightlines, spatial dimension, colour, light, material and sound.

·       There is more to the appeal of a story in itself, listener’s engagement is a whole different aspect to factor in when achieving captivation.

·       You want visitors/listeners to realize and engraved in their mind the significance of the narrative right there and then.

·       Unpredictable and uncommon methods of storytelling is more effective because it arouse desire for resolution.

·       “All spaces can be interpreted as meaningful and therefore carry some kind of narrative.” In this context, the Tanemahuta tree stands atoll to this day, can be interpreted as the deep and aged roots dating back to ancestral times will always be there and a part of us.

Austin, T. (2012). Scales of Narrativity. In Hale, J., Hourston Hanks, L., & Macleod, S. (eds.). Museum making : narratives, architectures, exhibitions. Routledge. 107-118.

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Visual Experience of Tanemahuta

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A mind map of Tanemahuta breaking down its qualitative and quantitative aspects, tangible and intangible things, physical and spiritual associations. 

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Sharing My Experience Of My Chosen Atua: Tanemahuta

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My Experience and Understanding of Tanemahuta

My family and I like to spend our free time going on nature walks and go to bush walks as much as we can. I immerse myself into the forest by touching different surfaces, hearing the wind brushing through the leaves, and smelling all kinds of flowers. There is so much mother nature has to offer and I am constantly amazed by its beauty. In that experience, I think about how the forest has provided humans the means to survive and has inspired us to innovate and discover ever since ancient times. The forest has been a significant figure in Iwi traditions, ancestors passing on the legend of Tane Mahuta, the god of the forest, how he separated Papatuanuku (earth mother) and Ranginui (sky father) apart bringing light and freedom upon the world. The legend depicts the attributes of persistence and determination in Tane and this inspires us to be just like him. Tane Mahuta has made me realize and cherish the gift of the forest with its beauty, that it must be preserved for more generations to come so that they get to experience our experience.

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Understanding Connections

Ranking my top 5 Atuas in order of which I feel most connected to 

Tanemahuta - forest, forest-dwellers, shelter, biodiversity

Papatuanuku - earth, whenua

Rongomatane & Haumietiketike - cultivated and uncultivated food sources

Ranginui - sky, rain

Parawhenuamea - groundwater, freshwater

My top 3 Atuas correlate together because they come as a whole. There wouldn't be food if it weren't for the forest, and there wouldn't be a forest if it weren't for the earth. I have always been grounded with mother nature when we go out for walks. It has been a big part of my childhood especially when I’ve made unforgettable memories with it.