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Ruatoki
Story Date: Feb 9, 2023
Caption:
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Size: 1335h x 2000w
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Size: 1335h x 2000w
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Size: 1333h x 2000w
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Size: 1333h x 2000w
Caption:
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Size: 1335h x 2000w
Caption:
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Size: 1333h x 2000w
Caption:
None
Size: 1331h x 2000w
Caption:
None
Size: 1331h x 2000w
Caption:
None
Size: 1333h x 2000w
Caption:
None
Size: 1335h x 2000w
Story Text
From early on of the colonisation of Aotoeroa New Zealand Ngāi Tūhoe people of Te Urewera region, known for their staunch independence, had a little contact with European settlers. They have never lost link to their language and the cultural identity despite often violent attempts to assimilate and dispossess them led by the New Zealand Government.
Like many Tūhoe people John Teepa spent a few decades in the city, living away from his ancestral land. Returning to his birthplace a dairy farm in Ruatoki with his wife and six children, they traditionally adopted and raised more than 20 whāngai kids. Many generations have been raised on the farm, but for a few decades the land was left desolate - Tūhoe families walked off to seek more constructive employment. In 1986 six Ngatirongo families agreed to combine their lands to form what is now known as Tataiwhetu Trust, one of the most successful dairy farms in Aotearoa, guided by the principle “Ka ora te whenua ka ora te tangata. When the land is in good health so too are the people”.
Over a century old Teepa’s rickety homestead has sheltered more than six generations of ‘whānau’ family and hundreds of ‘tamariki’ children. This is home,” John says now, to his numerous children and grandchildren.
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Ruatoki
Credit: Tatsiana Chypsanava via Visura
Asset ID: VA91423
Caption: Not Available
Copyright: © Tatsiana Chypsanava, 2024
Collection:
Tatsiana Chypsanava
Based in Nelson, New Zealand
Tatsiana Chypsanava is a documentary photographer based in Aotearoa New Zealand. Born in Belarus and a descendant of the Komi peoples of the Siberian North West Ural, she is a member of Diversify Photo and Women Photograph, both groups...
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