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Jeremy Cloake - 2008 General Scholarship Recipient
Carver/Musician, Auckland
To create educational resources for Taonga Puoro (traditional Maori musical instruments)
Jeremy’s goal is to create educational resources that will develop an interest in historic Maori instruments amongst New Zealanders and eventually the wider world, in order to support the practice of a near forgotten Maori cultural tradition.
As a carver and player of Taonga Puoro, Jeremy is among only a handful of people in the world who are skilled in the making of such instruments. Little is known about the instruments and yet they are a beautiful and important part of Maori culture. Jeremy has studied with master carvers and researched many of the old pieces found in New Zealand museums. He is now continuing this research in the United Kingdom at the British Museum in London.
Jeremy’s dream is to replicate these historical instruments and gift sets of them to major museums around New Zealand, not merely to be put on display, but to make available for people to touch and play, as a way of reinvigorating these instruments and educating New Zealanders about their existence. Jeremy’s work as a teacher and professional communicator has motivated him to ensure that this heritage is not lost to future generations. He plans to spend six months of his time solely dedicated to making more instruments as part of his project; thereby ensuring these instruments will live on for many more generations to enjoy. |