Tama Huata
Tama Huata | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tama Tūranga Huata 15 April 1950 |
| Died | 11 February 2015 (aged 64) Napier, New Zealand |
| Spouse | Pukepuke Tangiora Huata |
| Children | Three |
| Relatives | Wiremu Te Tau Huata (father) Hemi Pititi Huata (grandfather) Paraire Tomoana (grandfather) Henare Tomoana (great-grandfather) |
Tama Tūranga Huata ONZM (15 April 1950 – 11 February 2015) was a Māori performing arts leader in New Zealand.
Biography
Born in 1950 of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Porou descent,[1][2] Huata was the third son of Wiremu Te Tau Huata—a chaplain to the Māori Battalion during World War II—and Ringahora Hēni Ngākai Ybel Tomoana.[3] His maternal grandfather was Paraire Tomoana, the composer of "Pokarekare Ana".[4]
Huata was a central figure in the renaissance of the Māori performing arts.[3] In 1983 he founded the Kahurangi Dance Theatre and Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Takitimu (the Takitimu Performing Arts School), and was responsible for the establishment there of the first degree programme in Māori performing arts.[5] In 1985 he was a group leader at the Te Maori exhibition in San Francisco.[3] Awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 1995, Huata travelled to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee to study African history and dance.[3]
Huata was the inaugural chair of Te Matatini Society,[5] and founder of the Waiata Māori Music Awards in 2007.[3]
In the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours, Huata was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori performing arts.[6] In 2012, he received Te Tohu Toi Kē (the "Making a Difference" award) from Creative New Zealand at Te Waka Toi Awards, for his significant contribution to the development and retention of Māori arts and culture.[2]
Huata died at his home in Napier in 2015.[5]
References
- ^ Spence, Richard. "Whakaaria mai: the biography of Wi Huata". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Te Waka Toi awards". Creative NZ. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Gullery, Lawrence (12 February 2015). "Maori performing arts leader Tama Turanga Huata dies". Dominion Post. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ Ballara, Angela. "Huata, Wiremu Te Tau". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ a b c Brown, Heeni (11 February 2015). "Performing arts stalwart Tama Huata passes away". Māori Television News. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2006". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 5 June 2006. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
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