Mama Aroha #1

"Nga wahine o te Ao ka kawe a matou ora wairua ki tona u ... Women are the future of our world. They carry our lives in their breasts and in their Spirit."

This artwork was inspired by the Native American proverb above (translated into Te Reo Maori) which expresses aroha (love) for the whenua (land) and future generations. It comes from the 'Seven-Generation-Sustainability' philosophy and is a North-American-Indian ecological concept that tries to motivate the people of today to live sustainable lives, care for the environment, and to work for the benefit of up to 140 years into the future – ‘seven generations’.

Kindly translated by my Aunty - Ana Graham Ripia, this artwork is a dedication to Papatuanuku and the sacred Whenua (Earth Mother). She carries all life in her breasts nurturing and sustaining us all. She is our Mama Aroha (Mother's love). Her love is instinctual and unconditional.