Tāme Iti, Patu!, and Herbs

Tāme Iti, Patu!, and Herbs
Tāme Iti - Source: waateanews.com

Tāme Iti is a Māori activist and artist from Aoterea New Zealand.

I first noticed him in the documentary Patu! by the film maker Merata Mita.

The documentary charts the anti-Apartheid protests that took place across New Zealand in the winter of 1981, before and during a South African rugby tour. You can see the full documentary here:

In Patu! Tāme appears as a young man without moko.

Tāme Iti in the documentary Patu!

Many years later, in 2015, he spoke about his life, activism and the power of knowing who you are in this TEDxAuckland Talk:

There is also a documentary from 2015 about his life and his involvement in the 2007 New Zealand police raids, The Price of Peace.

You can read more about Tāme in his book here:

Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand

Tāme has a website and is on Facebook and Instagram.

The Patu! documentary also features great reggae music by Herbs.

It's one thing to hold a placard, chant and march against a dragon. It's another to pick up a red guitar and slay the dragon with reggae, and that's Herbs.– Producer Reikura Kahi on Herbs and the power of their music, The NZ Herald, 17 June 2019

There is also a fantastic Herbs documentary, Songs of Freedom available:

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