The Māori drag queen group, The Tīwhas, are planning a Matariki Spectacular! show for both Wellington and Auckland.
The Tīwhas comprise four kuīni whakākei: Jthan Morgan aka Dame Jthan (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata), Te Hāmama Hohua aka Huh? Mama! (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hikairo), Levi Waitere aka Slay West (Tainui), and Raureti Dion Ormond aka Pania (Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Tahu, Ngāti Whaoa).
“I mean Matariki has just become a public holiday, which is fantastic - about damn time. I feel like not many people know much about Matariki like pākehā or a couple of Māori cause it just doesn’t get taught in school,” Slay West said.
“So I feel like why not do it in a fun way with drag, with waiata, dancing, glamour and beautiful sisters. So let’s do this Matariki show and educate the children and some grown-ups.
“Everyone should come. There is no age restrictions or anything. It’s open to everybody if you want to learn some things. Come, please. it’s not just for some certain people.
“Everyone come. We like everyone’s money,” West cheekly said.
Huh? Mama! said the show was also meant to be a celebration of Matariki.
“E kōrero ana mātou mō Te Paki o Matariki me ngā kura huna kei ia whetū. Mā roto i ngā mahi waiata, haka, kanikani, pukuhohe, waihoki mā roto i ngā mahi a te kuīni, arā, ko ngā mahi a te drag queen.
“We are talking about the constellation of Matariki and the important knowledge of those stars through singing, dancing, comedy and the intricacies of the queen, through a drag queen’s work.
“Ko te ngako nui o tō mātou whakatū i tēnei whakāturanga, he whakakotahi i te hunga tangata ki te whakanui i te kāhui whetū o Matariki. Waihoki ko tā mātou, he whakangahau ki te iwi.”
“The essence of our stance in this show is to bring people together to celebrate the constellation of Matariki and also to entertain the people,” Mama! explained.
“We have a range of pop hits that you’ll recognise, that you’ll know and love, which are intertwined with Māori and kapa haka, and there’s a mix of ballads, musical theatre. We do it all,” Pania told Te Ao Māori News.
With drag queens in the media recently due to opposition including from Destiny Church to them reading stories to children in libraries and the vandalising of rainbow crossings, the director of The Tīwhas, said she would change their minds.
“If you don’t like us, you can still come, you just have to buy a ticket.
“You can come, and I will change your mind and we’ll enlighten you and we’ll show you that we’re just people and we are entertainers and yes, we’ve got wigs and dresses on,” she said.
Huh? Mama! said there was nothing wrong with being a kuīni whakarākei because they were just trying to be themselves.
“We’re not doing anything wrong. We’re just being ourselves and kind of marrying and weaving to get our takatāpuitanga with our Māoritanga. You know, that’s still something that we’re still discovering and exploring today, but I think we’re doing a damn good job at it.
“We’re not exactly given time or space as Māori to express this takatāpui side of ourselves and I feel like it’s kind of a new thing that’s happening. There’s a new wave coming in of people just expressing themselves with who they are.”
Dame Jthan wished shows like The Tīwhas: A Matariki Spectacular had existed when she was younger but was happy to be those people for the next generation.
“We’re here to stand up for our communities. We’re a part of a lot of communities and all the rangatahi and the young people who are going to follow in our footsteps and everyone is welcome at our show.”
Pania said she thought it was “crazy” she had nothing like this growing up as well.
“I think as someone who is young and takatāpui, even for myself, having my two older sisters. Seeing them makes me feel so much more confident in myself so that I think for someone who comes and sees the show to see four proud takatāpui drag queens. It’s crazy to think like I never had that growing up,” Pania said.
The Tīwhas are open to making this show an annual event, with Dame Jthan saying it would be different in the years to come
“Our knowledge and our understanding of Matariki grows every day. So next year, the show will look different. We’ll be able to dive deeper into Matariki and explain it better.
“At the moment we’re scraping the surface. We’re not Matariki experts, but we’re sharing what we know. We’re sharing what we’ve learned over the past few weeks while we’ve been in rehearsal.
“There should be 100 Matariki shows at Matariki. We don’t need to be the only people doing Matariki shows [but] we’ll happily do it. Come see our one,” Jthan said.
The Tīwhas: A Matariki Spectacular! opens at the Circa Theatre in Wellington from June 19 to June 29 and at Auckland’s Basement Theatre from July 2 to July 6.