He Kapua Whakapipi translates to cumulus clouds, while the word whakapipi means to pile upon another, stack or accumulate. In this project, He Kapua Whakapipi (accumulating clouds) represents being shrouded in a blanket of the cloudy and unknown; while He Kapua Whakapapa (layering clouds of descent) refer to the primordial parents of the Māori world, Ranginui and Papatūānuku and the tūpuna that come before me.
My Ngāti Kuri tūpuna shared an interconnected, spiritual connection with the land and natural materials, formed through whakapapa links. Through accumulation and layering, I develop a sense of identity and connection to my whakapapa by taking the cloudy or unknown and turning them into tangible paper kapua through the material practice of papermaking.
