Pūtangitangi

Small round instruments made by hand with natural clay and pigments. Traditionally (at least post war), pūtangitangi (or ukutangi, būdagidagi) were made by wāhine, often for use as part of tangihanga to help to bring on the crying and wailing for the dead, as well as to both mimic and contain the emotions of tangi. After holding and helping, these pūtangitangi could be broken down into dirt to return to the whenua from whence they came. Over time, pūtangitangi have become an empowering taonga for many starting on their journeys with taonga pūoro, and te ao Māori. They are one of our easiest blown taonga to play, can be made easily from a natural resource without tools, and they help us to release our emotions. We make them at the river with our kids when they tire of the swimming, we play them wet with mud on our faces. We make them from whenua at our marae, so we can sing our whenua into the air from our own backyards. We make them when our emotions are too deep to have words, only feelings that we can now distil into sound. Ko au te pū o te tangi. I am the source of this cry.
 
Please note that the product images represent a few pieces from the collection, the product shipped to you will not be the exact one in the image but will be a similar piece from the collection. You will receive one of the 248 pūtangitangi from the exhibition chosen at random. Also, due to the nature and tradition of pūtangitangi, these taonga are unfired and are to be treated with care. Over time they may slowly break down, upon which time we reccomend that you either return them to the whenua, or learn from the booklet how to recreate your taonga anew.  Some pūtangitangi that we have made have lasted for over a decade, with the correct care, your taonga should live a long life within your kete pūoro.
 
Your pūtangitangi will be shipped once the exhibition has closed.