BERYL TE WIATA

Tk 1 of 3 from T 909, recorded in 1973. Beryl Te Wiata is interviewed about Inia Te Wiata. She recalls his enjoyment of hunting and going into the bush and that he was very familiar with bird songs. He later worked at a freezing works where he learned a lot about meat, and went on to be a wool classer. He turned down a singing tour of England to learn the skill of carving a canoe with his people in Otaki.

He began the huge project of carving a 'wood sculpture' late in 1963 and had virtually completed it at the time of his death. It is in New Zealand House in London and features 24 x 9 foot figures. In terms of actual carving time, it took him two years. When he began the project he hadn't had a chisel in his hands for about 30 years. She mentions the splits appearing in the wood, known as the 'shakes'. The other part of this
interview is on T 911 - Tk 5.