Harawene

Inspired by Te Whiti o Tu, a story about two sisters — Rehutai (mist of the breaking surf) and Tangimoana (the voice of the breaking surf). It is a tale of place, kinship, and memory. But on a deeper, spiritual level, it speaks to connection: connection to self, to whakapapa, to our ancestors, and to the sacred thread that binds us to all things — seen and unseen.

This artwork also speaks to jealousy (harawene) — not as something to be feared or suppressed, but as a reflection of an inner wound, a part of the self that feels unloved or less loved. In the quiet embrace of the two sisters, Rehutai and Tangimoana, we are reminded of the duality within all of us — the self that is seen, and the self that longs to be seen. Jealousy can arise when one part of us feels forgotten in the presence of another’s light. But like the breaking surf, where voice and mist exist together, so too can these parts be reconciled.

Te Whiti o Tu — the space between — is where that healing happens. It is the threshold between longing and acceptance, where jealousy can be re-understood as a call for deeper self-love and integration. It is not the enemy, but a teacher — revealing where love has yet to flow freely within us.

Through the calm, watchful presence of the sisters, this piece invites us to tend to those unloved places — with compassion, with softness, and with the knowledge that wholeness comes not from perfection, but from embracing all that we are.