Audio from people remembering Carmen after the powhiri gifting of her taonga (cultural treasures) to Te Papa - Museum of New Zealand on 1 November 2013. The recording finishes with a performance from Tiwhanawhana.
Tariana Turia spoke during the ceremony (not recorded). The speech is reproduced here.
Summary
This abstract summarizes an audio recording titled "Remembering Carmen Rupe", held at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa on November 1, 2013. The event commemorated the contribution of Carmen Rupe, an iconic figure in New Zealand who had recently gifted their collection of cultural treasures to the museum.
The recording captures the emotion and memories of participants, including Robin Waerea, Jurgen Hoffman, and Francis Rupe, as they reminisce about Carmen's impact and the significance of the powhiri (welcoming ceremony) that took place. Friends and relatives of Carmen recount experiences and stories, highlighting the individual beginning the process of choosing items from Carmen's apartment for the collection, with certain clothes and jewels designated for the museum and other pieces selected by Carmen for various destinations.
The collection included a range of dresses, headpieces, jewelry, handbags, and unique creations made from simple items like Christmas tinsel. Among the favorite items was a blue sequin dress, specially tailored for Carmen, which they wore for a significant birthday celebration. The contributors discuss meeting Carmen and the shared backgrounds and interests that deepened their relationships, emphasizing Carmen's ethos of being true to oneself, kindness, sharing knowledge, and helping others.
The recording concludes with reflections on the personal significance of the event, the emotion of seeing Carmen's belongings accepted by the museum, and the power of Carmen's legacy. Carmen is remembered as a trailblazer who lived honestly and blazed a path for future generations regarding human rights and social justice. The impact of Carmen's advocacy for the LGBT+ community and their part in advancing New Zealand’s stance on human rights and acceptance of diversity is celebrated through anecdotes and expressions of admiration.
Attendees and friends highlight experiences from earlier decades, including the obstacles faced during times when dressing as the opposite gender could lead to arrest and recognition of how Carmen paved the way for a more inclusive society. Moreover, the significance of Carmen's collected items is underscored, as they reflect the vibrant personality and are tribute to a life lived with authenticity and advocacy.
This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.
Voices
Tags
1970s, 2010s, abuse, amanduh la whore, ancestors, aotearoa new zealand, art-a-rama, australia, buckwheat, carmen rupe, carmen's international coffee lounge, celia wade-brown, chrissy witoko, christianity, compassion, culture, dana de milo, david hartnell, diversity, drag, drugs, francis rupe, friends, georgina beyer, harassment, helen clark, human rights, icons, jurgen hoffman, karen te wao, kate sheppard, kings cross (sydney), legacy, les girls (sydney), lorraine's cake kitchen (wellington), luamanuvao winnie laban, mana, marae, museum of new zealand te papa tongarewa, māori, observatory hotel (sydney), parents, parliament buildings, pasi daniels, pindi hurring, police, politics, powhiri, rainton hastie, robin waerea, sex work, showgirl, social justice, spirituality, striptease, sunset strip, sydney, takatāpui, tariana turia, taumarunui, the balcony / le balcon, the boatshed, the purple onion, transexual, transgender, trelise cooper, trevor morley, tīwhanawhana, wahine (boat), waiata, wellington, whānau
Tags (computer generated)
advocate, army, auckland, audience, bear, being yourself, bird, birthday, board, boat, books, cakes, camp, career, celebration, chinese, christmas, clubs, coffee, coffee bar, comedy, comics, coming out, commitment ceremony, community, costumes, dancing, david, difference, dolls, drag queen, dream, dresses, emotional, equality, europe, exhibition, family, fashion, french, fun, funeral, gay, glamour, god, growing up, hawaii, heterosexual, history, hit, hong kong, hope, hospital, hotel, intersex, job, justice, kindness, legislation, lego, lesbian, listening, love, member of parliament, mentor, news, opera, other, passing, people, plague, power, primary school, privilege, psychology, queen, race, recognition, respect, running, sad, salvation army, scene, school, shade, shame, smile, social, speech, straight, strength, stuff, support, switzerland, talent show, time, top, touch, tough, tradition, travel, treat, walking, website, women, work, writing, youth