Te Whare o Rongo

Te Whare o Rongo - The House of Peace

This collection is a tribute to the art of peace, inspired by the art of tukutuku, woven lattice-work that decorates the interior of a wharenui (meeting house) , a domain traditionally dedicated to Rongo. To adorn ourselves and our homes with symbols of peace of freedom and liberation, drawn from within the house of Rongo

Collection design inspiration:

The traditional Māori meeting house

Tukutuku are traditional woven panels, an ornamental lattice-work traditionally made by weaving strips of leaf and fibre through a trellis of reed stalks and wooden slats.

These panels decorate the inside walls of a whare (meeting house) with woven patterns that pay tribute to the natural environment, te mana o te taiao, as it is the environment that sustains not only the host people, but also the many that have been welcomed within the whare.

Rongo 

The god of peace and peaceful pursuits. 

Rongo is the advocator, the reconciler, the gatherer of people, the peace-maker. Rongo strengthens our resolve to find accord in our engagements and relationships with people and the natural environment. 

Rongo is associated with the night and moon, his resonance accounted even in the stars.   Rongo was here and throughout the pacific both the time-measurer and the patron deity of agriculture. His legacy is still a guide in the growth and cultivation of food. 

Rongo is also associated with our senses, to hear, feel, smell, taste and perceive.  In turn 

Rongo reflects our passive and peaceful nature, and promotes mindfulness in our interactions with the world and people around us. 

Rongo is love. 

Rongo invites restoration, recovery, calm and harmony. His virtues promote connectedness, unity, equilibrium and ultimately, liberation.

Long may peace reign, above all.

E Rongo whakairi ake ki runga, kia tina! Haumie, hui e, tāiki e!