Now in its twenty-third year, the Toi Rakiura Arts Trust Oral History Project continues to involve the Rakiura/Stewart Island community in arts, heritage and culture.
This year, the Trust collaborated with photographer Juliet Nicholas and writer Halina Ogonowska-Coates to create story banners with images capturing the lives of senior residents of Rakiura/Stewart Island.
The goal of this initiative was to record the life stories and images of respected residents in a beautiful and unique way, establishing a tangible sense of place for future generations.
The banners will be displayed in the Rakiura museum and other Island venues to preserve the stories and honour the contribution of the elderly community members.
Trustee and former Chair of Rakiura Toi Arts Trust Stewart Island, Gwen Neave said the Trust was lucky to collaborate with two very special women for this project.
“Juliet Nicholas is from Christchurch, and she is a well-known photographer for her contribution to magazines and books. Halina Ogonowska-Coates is a writer of renown who has made films, completed oral histories stories with different groups in New Zealand, and her story ‘Christina’s Story’ is a current NCEA text. These two inspiring women have been spending time on Rakiura this year, and we all just knew how important it was to share these histories,” she said.
The subjects of the banner project have various stories and backgrounds, with some being fisher folk working in the environment, and others leaving everlasting impressions as teachers, observers of nature and the spiritual essence of Rakiura/Stewart Island.
“It’s a project that’s very close to our hearts because it allowed us to honour our seniors, to acknowledge their contribution to our community over the years and to show younger members, community and visitors these records that are well worth treasuring. We thank Community Trust South for their ongoing support and funding this project,” Gwen said.