Raranga & Tatreez

In 2022, Ola Sawaie was gifted leftover embroidered fabrics from Um Ahlam and other wāhine (women) who live in the Al Baqa’a refugee camp in Jordan. She was later gifted poicords (whiri) made by two Māori wāhine, Waitangi and her daughter Tiahopō. Waitangi and Tiahopo made these whiri out of wool before they returned to Ruatoki, Bay of Plenty, to live after leaving it for many years. Making these whiri was a tool to soothe themselves from the trauma of returning to the site of the 2007 raids in Ruatoki. Making the whiri brought joy to the lives of Waitangi and Tiahopo, and in return, they wanted to share joy with others!

Ola experiments with mixing Palestinian tatreez, a very old craft that goes back to the Canaanites nearly 3000 years ago, with Māori textiles inspired by the poi and the korowai. In this show, she connects the two worlds of Palestinian tatreez and Māori raranga and pūeru (weaving and textiles). It is a celebration of pattern and colour that honours the role of Māori and Palestinian wāhine (women), exemplifying silent resistance through cross-stitching and weaving.

Groups of women from two cultures (Palestinian and Māori) gather to talk, cross-stitch, weave, pass their stories, and display their resilience. Ola’s interventions combine these two worlds to highlight the possibility of different cultures living in harmony.

Wāhine used poi to keep their hands flexible for weaving, and tāne (men) used poi as a training aid for their strength. During the New Zealand land wars in the 1860s, poi were also used as a nonviolent spiritual messenger. In 1868, Te Whiti-o-Rongomai, a peacemaker, prophet, and chief of the Taranaki tribes, adopted the sakura (feather plume/treasure) of the albatross and the poi as his emblems of peace and hospitality.

Enjoy!

About the artist

Ola is an artist and designer originally from Jordan in the Middle East, now living in Hawke’s Bay. With a hyphenated identity (Jordanian-Kiwi) and a great appreciation for Māori culture and art, Ola reflects her cultural identity in her cross-cultural designs. She is a PhD student in the faculty of Design Innovation at Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington.

Her PhD research focuses on cross-cultural design.