Mantle idea from Pam Bowell…
On her recent flying trip to NZ, the lovely Pam Bowell shared a powerpoint all about a process drama / mantle she ran recently in a year 5 class. She has generously agreed to share it here.
But wait, there’s more….!
At the Waikato cluster meeting last night, we spent an engaging evening thinking of possible ways to adapt / rework this company, client and commission to suit a New Zealand context. It was a really useful exercise and I am hoping those who attended will respond to this post with some of the ideas we came up with… So check out the powerpoint AND check out the comments below
Over to you team….
What a fantastic idea Viv – taking an existing mantle and modifying it for a New Zealand context. Several ideas came up from our small group discussion. One was to use the carvings on the outside of the marae as the inspiration for the story that would be told through a dance. The commission could come from a tribe who wanted to celebrate a milestone event. Another was to use the kowhaiwhai patterns, again to tell the important stories associated with a particular iwi.
This was such a brilliant idea Viv – taking an existing mantle concept and challenging us to adapt it for a New Zealand context. The small group that I was part of had so many fantastic ideas and hopefully some of the others will share their take on our discussion. One of the ideas we had was to use the patterns from the carvings on the front of a marae in place of the patterns in the Lindisfarne Gospel. The thing I liked about this is that the carvings already tell a story which would could be interpreted by children. We did talk about using the Kowhaiwhai patterns found on the inside of the marae but through our conversation we decided that perhaps they didn’t allow for enough scope for a dance because they were very repetitive. The comission, like the comission for the Lindisfarne Gospel could come from a National Library who want to share the unique story of a particular tribe or perhaps directly from a tribe who want to celebrate an important milestone. There are so many options and again it was a great activity, thanks Viv!
Thanks to the combined innovative thinking of the group I was part of, our dance company has been invited to take part in a cultural celebration.
A partially completed Maori carving has been discovered in a forest swamp, buried beneath layers of volcanic ash from the Taupo eruption. It was claimed by a local iwi and a carver has begun work on the restoration. As in Lindisfarne our company has been invited to help celebrate the lifting of the tapu and installation of the carving at the marae by dancing the story of the ancestor depicted in the carving.
There would of course be tensions such as disputes about the ancestor – hero or villain?; the iwi he actually belongs to (disputed); the age of the carving (ancient or a ‘plant’); the protocol adapted for the dance….
Although dance would be at the centre of this Mantle, it would be rich in tikanga, history and music, and with carving and design an integral part, maths and visual art would bubble to the surface too.
It was an inspirational idea to work this way, using an existing plan but adapted to a New Zealand setting. Thanks Viv for introducing us to it and to Pam Bowell for dreaming up the original Lindisfarne Gospel Project. What fun you have given us!