Talking Tukutuku

 

Talking Tukutuku
Kirsty Wadsworth with Doreen Bennett
Ill. Zak Ātea 
Scholastic (2026)
Picture book
40 pages, Paperback
ISBN 978 1 77543 957 8

 

 

Talking Tukutuku is a special book. Kirsty Wadsworth is the writer and Zak Ātea is the illustrator. Doreen Bennett is the Tukutuku Weaver cultural consultant. These three have combined their knowledge and talents to create an enjoyable and informative picture book

 Hīnātore enjoys her visits to the marae and being with her lively cousins Ariki and Māra. Inside the meeting house, however, Hīnātore is embarrassed that she cannot remember the names and patterns of the woven tukutuku panels that line the walls. Her cousins seem to know them all.

Arki rattles off the details, ‘This panel is the Pātiki, and this grand one is the Poutama …’

 ‘I’ll never remember all those names,’ interrupts Hīnātore, ‘I can’t even remember the names of all our aunties and uncles.’

 Left alone before the panels, Hīnātore is amazed when the diamond-shaped woven patterns begin to light up and move about. Then she realises that they are swimming like fish.

‘Ae,’ they replied. ‘We are Pātiki – flounder – and this is our tukutuku.’

 As Hīnātore loks around other panels begin lighting up, then moving and speaking to her. Tiny figures seem to be climbing up a set of steps. ‘We are the Poutama, representing the growth of knowledge – always learning, always gathering new skills.’

 As she goes around the panels, Hīnātore begins to understand the various symbols that the weavers have used. The sharp triangles remind her of teeth.

‘This one must be Niho Taniwha – the Taniwha’s teeth.’

‘Ae, tika,’ the tukutuku replied. ‘We symbolise strength, resilience and leadership – the things you might expect from a taniwha.’

 As each tukutuku tells its story and explains the significance of its pattern, Hīnātore learns that ‘everything is connected and everything has a purpose.’ She touches the building’s carvings, the woven panels and the photographs of ancestors, feeling a new sense of connection.

 The story concludes on a triumphant note, with Hīnātore surprising her family with her knowledge of tukutuku and her whanau’s legacy. Nanny Ihi has a special revelation for her.

 Zak Ātea has done well in capturing the various aspects of the tukutuku panels and also suggesting their broader symbolism. The weaving patterns can be seen in the sky and landscape in many of the pictures, so that readers can appreciate the skill of the detail work. She has also created convincing children of the three main characters, especially the bouncy Ariki who shows his amazement at his cousin’s achievement. The scene with Hīnātore and her Nanny Ihi clasping hands is particularly moving.

A fact section, Weaving Stories, at the end of the book contains key facts and ideas about tukutuku weaving. It includes a photo of one of Doreen Bennett’s panels, with an explanation of the symbols used.

 This book has its place in homes, of course, but it will be even more important for it to be in libraries and classrooms. Doreen Bennet’s final comment explains why, ‘When we learn traditional arts and stories, we become responsible knowledge holders, passing it on to future generations. It is our pride, identity and legacy.’

Talking Tukutuku passes it on.

 

Trevor Agnew

20 Oct 2026  [Review 3866.]