Ariana Tikao is a singer, taonga pūoro musician and writer of Kāi Tahu descent, and recipient of a 2020 Arts Foundation Laureate award. She writes waiata, poetry and creative non-fiction exploring themes relating to her Kāi Tahu identity and mana wahine, often drawing on historical kōrero from her ancestors. She is among the current generation of artists and leaders rejuvenating taonga pūoro, following in the footsteps of Hirini Melbourne and of her mentors Richard Nunns and Brian Flintoff.
Her recent book Mokorua: Ngā kōrero mō tōku moko kauae – My story of moko kauae was published in 2022 by Auckland University Press.
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