When I saw the magnificent landscape in @shaka's template photo this week, for LMAC #148, I thought immediately of New Zealand and the Maori culture.
The Template Photo by @shaka
I have in the past done some research on Maori culture, so I decided to go forward with that theme. One Maori foundation narrative explains that in the beginning there were two lovers who were so enamored of each other they would not part. They held each other tightly in an embrace. One of the lovers, Ranginui, was the sky, and the other, Papatuanuku, was the earth. Ranginui and Papatuanuku had six sons, but the sons never saw light. The children were trapped in darkness, within the tight embrace of their parents.
Carving of Ranginui and Papatuanuku, With the Faces of Their Six Sons
Credit: Diego Robins on Pexels
The children could not persuade the parents to separate. Finally, one boy, Tāne, forced them apart. Ranginui wept, and flooded the earth with his tears. Some of the children turned Papatuanku around, so the lovers would not have the pain of seeing each other's grief. Ranginui wept less, but the morning dew is evidence of tears that still flow. Every morning the lovers come together once a day, at dawn.
This Youtube video by Nga Aho Waiora shows Tāne separating Ranginui and Papatuanku.
After they are freed, each of the boys becomes a god. Tāne becomes god of the forest. Tangaroa becomes god of the sea. Tāwhirimātea becomes god of the wind and weather. Rongomātāne becomes god of agriculture and peaceful pursuits. Haumietiketike, wild food and fern root. Rūaumoko becomes god of earthquakes and volcanoes.
Tāne Mahuta, 2000-Year-Old Tree, Waipoua Forest, Northland, New Zealand
Credit:Tatters from Brisbane, Australia. Used under CC 2.0 license. The tree is named for Tāne, God of Forest and Birds. The exact age of Tāne Mahuta is not known. The estimated range is between 1500 and 2500 years.
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A personification of Rūaumoko, god of earthquake and volcano, may be seen in this video, produced by Kiwa Digital
In my collage this week I tried to represent some symbols from the Maori foundational narrative.
The figure in the sky is (I believe) the god of the forest, Tāne. The embracing figures are, Ranginui and Papatuanku, with three of their children. The volcano in the background represents the god Rūaumoko.
The one figure not yet explained in the collage is the fisherman. This figure represents the demigod Maui, who is known for his many mischievous deeds. In this case, he has taken the jawbone of his grandmother Muri-ranga-whenua and made a fish hook of it. With this hook he ensnared such a large fish that when he took the fish from the sea, it became New Zealand's North Island.
This video by Thomas Le Bas illustrates how that fishing expedition went:
I tried to make a gif that showed Maui catching that big fish, but the gif wasn't very successful.
Although the figure in the gif is intended to represent Maui, the source image Ruth Paradis on Unsplash merely describes the figure as 'Tiki'.
The canoe came from Luiza Braun on Unsplash and the rope was a vector image I found on Pixabay. There was no copyright-free image of the fish hook, so I tried to draw it.
Finally, the smoke-spewing volcanic mountain in the background was provided by @davidpena21 in the LIL Gallery, LMAC's library of public domain images.
Collage Process:
This collage for LMAC #148 began of course with @shaka's template photo.
I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but never was able to achieve the look I was going for. Here are some steps (there were many, many steps).
I wanted a mystical effect, with symbols floating in a clouded sky. The result I got was not elegant :). Still, it does tell a story.
Our competition for this round of LMAC is over (I don't compete), but the winners have been decided and are posted on the community blog here. Stop by, take a look and marvel at the art on display.
Tomorrow we begin round #149 of the collage contest. Check it out and consider whether you might have fun participating.
Please note: The flower accent that appears throughout the blog was derived from a LIL image contributed by @muelli.