Māori Artist Gifts Temuera Morrison A Carved Fett Helmet

From One Kiwi To Another

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • 3 min read

One of the many positive aspects of Star Wars or any pop culture phenomenon is how it can inspire creativity in fans. Star Wars has inspired filmmakers, writers, and artists of all kinds for over four decades, from computer graphics to makeup. Some of these fans-turned-artists have created a new Star War. Bringing that passion to Star Wars is something every fan dreams of accomplishing, especially fans from more remote parts of the world.

Last week, a Māori artist named Graham Hoete, a multi-disciplinary artist specializing in paintings and wood carvings from New Zealand, gifted a wood-carved Boba Fett helmet to his fellow countrymen, Boba Fett himself Temuera Morrison, in a special ceremony in Rotorua. Clips of the ceremony can be watched on Hoete’s Twitter page, @WorldofMrG. Hoete has been drawing Star Wars characters since he was 5 years old. So it is evident how meaningful the ceremony was for Hoete and Morrison, and how proud they are of their Māori Heritage.

The helmet was carved from a native kauri tree and represented a taonga for Morrison. In simplest terms, a taonga is a treasured possession in Māori culture that Hoete felt Morrison deserved. In a two-part video posted on Hoete’s Twitter page, we see a quick glimpse of the Haka dance, a Māori ceremonial war dance, before it cuts to Temuera Morrison welcoming guests in his native language. Then, we see Hoete holding the carved Fett helmet still draped in black cloth as he is about to present it to Morrison. It is fascinating to watch the Māori ceremonial presentation and witness such proud people.

Graham Hoete, aka MrG, is an amazingly talented artist from New Zealand whose art is on display on his website, mrghoeteart.com. There you can see how detailed and lifelike his woodcarvings and paintings are. Hoete focuses much of his part on his Māori Heritage and Star Wars. Star Wars is all about bringing all types of people together regardless of where they are from, and Hoete certainly has earned that spotlight.

It is also touching to witness artists who have been inspired by Star Wars, knowing that Star Wars is something loved and cherished by so many fans around the globe. To see how much it means to share their art with an actor who not only is in Star Wars but also from a small country that honestly does not get a lot of attention. One of the most touching scenes was when Hoete and Morrison put their foreheads together for the hongi, a special greeting generally reserved for formal Māori events.

“For me, it’s about connection, so this is perfect you know? You’ve got the Star Wars culture, but you’ve also got the Māoritanga – our taha Māori, our Māori side – and being able to honour Temuera in this way is so fitting and appropriate. As Māori, that’s our superpower, us just being who we are. That’s how we shine in this world.”

Another Haka dance is performed before the presentation where Hoete speaks to Morrison about how Boba killed Cad Bane with the gaffi stick. Morrison also brought some of the Māori cultures into Star Wars as Boba Fett. In The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Morrison handled the Tusken Raiders’ gaffi stick like a Taiaha, a traditional Māori staff weapon. He also talked about using the gift as a source of inspiration. Star Wars goes far beyond spaceships and pew pews. Underneath the effects is a rich connection to humanity. Overall a fascinating and emotional ceremony to watch, and it goes to show Star Wars has no limits to how far it can touch people in meaningful ways.

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