ZEKE Fall 2019

TE AHI KA – : THE FIRES OF
OCCUPATION
By Martin Toft
Dewi Lewis, 2018
200 pages | £35.00
“New Zealand’s Whanganui River
granted legal status as a person
after 170-year battle.”
This extraordinary headline was
published in ABC Australia online,
March 2017. This is the history at
the root of photographer Martin Toft’s
unique book, Te Ahi Ka – : The Fires of
Occupation.
According to Martin Toft, the
Whanganui River has been “a source of
material and spiritual sustenance” of the
Ma – ori and is the first body of water in the
world to be recognized as a living being.
The Ma – ori of New Zealand signed a treaty
in 1840 in order to protect their rights when
the British Crown and its overseas companies
began to colonize the region in the
mid-nineteenth century. However, through
misinterpretation of language (and what
I will assume was greed) the treaty was
not honored as understood by the tribes of
Whanganui. The Ma – ori look to this river,
which flows from the mountains of central
North Island, New Zealand to the Tasman
Sea, as their ancestor, their lifeblood.
While it is not a well-known story, it is not a
surprising one as it mirrors much of native
peoples’ stories throughout periods of colonization,
and the abuse and struggles that
still exist for them today, around the world.
Photo books are for me akin to small
films or portable exhibitions that you hold
in your hand, spend time with at your
leisure, while exploring new worlds, histories
and ideas as you journey through the
pages. Leafing back and forth, making discoveries
while seeing through the author’s
eyes, and often with another layer of
storytelling that comes through the design,
and then another with text and interviews.
That is my experience of Te Ahi Ka – .
In 1996, Toft, then an amateur photographer,
spent six months in King Country,
New Zealand which lies between the middle
and upper region of the Whanganui
River. He learned of their struggle and
work towards reversing the colonization of
their people and returning to their ancestral
land. Twenty years later, Toft returned to
explore more of the physical and metaphysical
relationship the Ma – ori have to the
river, and his own spiritual awakening. The
book takes its narrative from the agreement
known as the “Whanganui River Deed of
Settlement.” The Ma – ori have fought for
this recognition for so long, for the need to
bring the health and wellbeing of the river,
and consequently the people, back to its
natural flow. This book, a true collaboration,
has found a way to tell that story
through these photographs and text.
The book is a collaboration between the
designers, interpreters, and local people
who share their stories in interviews and
conversations with each other. It is through
their conversations that we learn about
their struggles, their relationship to the
river, and their hopes for the future.
The book concept is by Toft and Ania
Natecka-Milaj of Tapir Book Design. The
editing and sequencing are done by Rafat
Milach. The text is by Toft. There are two
different covers—a green cloth (female
cover) and orange cloth (male cover)—
each with their own design motif. No
explanation is given about the symbolism
of these colors or the design. At the back
of the book is what looks like a postcard
with a group portrait in front of a meeting
house; upon opening this foldout you find
several photographs of people in front of
the building and on the back—scroll-like—
is a dictionary with translations of Ma – ori
words and phrases.
The book begins with pages of black
and white images of the forest and river
made by Toft during his six-month trip in
1996, followed by a foldout page with
a color image hidden on the inside from
his more recent work. The foldout page
is sandwiched with another and between
them are pages of interviews followed by
poetry. The book flows like this throughout,
like a river snaking around its terrain
revealing the lifeblood of the river and its
peoples, their history and culture.
The color images from his recent trip
are a mix of portraits, still lifes, landscapes,
historic images and scenes of contemporary
life. The book ends with text of the 2017
Crown’s Apology as acknowledgement of
the integral relationship of the river to the
people who live along its flow. I wish there
was a bit more explanation to help guide
us through the chapters. Although the book
itself — the object — is a treasure to hold
and what it brings us is of great import.
Photography books have been one of
my passions since I was a college student
(long ago). Today, there is no shortage of
wonderful books of all genres, subject matter
and prices. Many of these books have
the ability to raise awareness and bring
change. This particular history has been
resolved and my hope is that this wonderful
book can influence others to recognize
what was taken from the natives of their
lands and help restore the rights of other (if
not all) native peoples.
—Lori Grinker
Not a subscriber? Click here to receive the print version of ZEKE.
ZEKE FALL 2019/ 55