Ngā Kaihanga Uku: Māori Clay Artists

What is it?
This book, written by Baye Riddell with photos from Norm Heke captures the beginnings of Ngā Kaihanga Uku, a collective of Māori Clay Artist established in 1987, in Aotearoa New Zealand.

It starts by looking at the importance of clay within Māori creation stories, anchoring it into the realm of the sacred, then look at how it was used throughout the Pacific in the past, which includes Lapita pottery.
Throughout the rest of the book, we learn about the historical context around when Ngā Kaihanga Uku was created, and the values that guide the practice of its members. It includes biographies of the original five founders of the collective (Ngā Tokorima) as well as those of more recent makers, who carry the collective forward in the future.
Beautiful photos of workshops, studios, and artists' works accompany the text, making this book very enjoyable to read.

Why do I recommend it?
First, the work of these artists, and their approach to working with clay is really inspiring. Making use of alternative firings (Raku, pit firing, etc), alongside the use of stains and oxides, the clay is highlighted beautifully in many pieces pictured.
And then, I had always heard that clay wasn't historically used to make vessels in Aotearoa Nw Zealand, so it was interesting to read about how clay was used in different ways (for example, applied to the body in particular circumstances), but also how that knowledge of clay is deeply woven through creation stories, indicating that, contrary to popular belief this was a familiar material to Māori of Aotearoa.