Opened Wednesday 17th June at 5.30pm


Teeth like in dreams when they fall out and I hold them in my mouth and swish them around. I've pulled my lips open till my gums dried out, searching for traces of my ancestors in my mouth. I was there at ihumatāo crying in our tent listening to the waiata and karakia from afar. My brain felt like it was being stretched outta my ears. I cried and told myself i'm on the whenua, i’m on the whenua, i’m on the whenua, i’m on the whenua, Kei te whenua au. I stopped biting my nails as soon as I turned 23, now I scrape the skin of my thumbs till they are raw. I watch as my sister grows into a wahine toa, can you do a karakia? I wish we could do them together but my tongue is still tripping and I gotta drive home to beat the traffic. I hope you didn’t swallow any water from Te Awakairangi, I couldn't help but open my mouth, the water was so cold and was stinging my chest. The blisters on my fingers have returned, hands like my mums. I pop the blisters and rip the dead skin off.


***


Maddi Walker (Ngāti Kahungunu Ki Wairoa) was born and raised in Te Awakairangi (Lower Hutt) and is a artist based in Pōneke. They are a current facilitator at play_station and recently graduated from Massey University.


Return the Whenua

Trans rights

Black Lives Matter

Photography by Hendrix Hennessy-Ropiha
Design by Riley Karl
Sponsored by Parrotdog