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National | Taonga

Māori artist upset over misuse of her identity

Māori artist Paitangi Ostick alleges an American author known as Rue has misused her cultural identity for a new book.

Ostick spoke to Kawe Kōrero Reporters and says the author has also misappropriated Māori culture.

Ostick says, “She’s written a series called The Chronicles of Hawthorn and in some of the transcripts she referred to me as Miss Paitangi the sacred carver.”

“There was also a map of the mystical land of Aotearoa which just looked like a map straight out of Lord of the Rings to me.”

Ostick says Rue private messaged her to tell her about using her identity after watching a documentary of Ostick on the Waka Huia TV programme

Ostick says, “I was actually really upset.”

“I think she thought I would be flattered about the fact that she was using my name and that she had been inspired by the Waka Huia programme.

“Everything she said about Mistress Paitangi, I actually do – the carving, the weaving, the tattooing.”