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Tātarakihi - The Children of Parihaka

2012 2m Film
  • Documentary
  • Māori
  • NZ History

In 1881, after being met by the pā's children holding white feathers of peace, invading constabulary ended Te Whiti-o-Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi's passive resistance at Parihaka in Taranaki. One of the darkest episodes of the New Zealand Wars, it was revisited in this documentary made by Paora Joseph. The film follows another group of Taranaki children undertaking an emotional, modern-day pilgrimage to the South Island jails where their ancestors were exiled and forced to labour. Footage of their hīkoi is interwoven with their poetry, song, art and narration.