THE CLOAK OF UENUKU: The Power of Colour Across Worlds, By Te Uira
E te atua, ko Uenuku
This book is dedicated to you, Uenuku.
Atua of the rainbow. Keeper of colour. Walker between worlds.
You who show us that after rain comes light.
You who hold all colours without choosing.
You who bridge Ranginui and Papatūānuku.
E Uenuku, guide my hands. Guide this mahi.
To Uenuku:
For showing me that colour is a bridge
He mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa.
Why I Wrote This Book
For the love and joy of colour. I’ve been asked this for years: “Why colour? Why do you paint in rainbows?” The answer is simple: Because colour has been one of the gifts that has saved me.
After 14 years of tā moko, kirituhi, and contemporary Māori painting, I noticed something. People didn’t just want art. They wanted to feel different after. Calmer. Braver. Seen. Embodied. Emboldened. I went to the temples of Egypt. India. Tahiti. Bali, and more. I dove into learning ancient history and neuroscience. Māori pigment and colour language. And always, Uenuku.
I wrote THE CLOAK OF UENUKU for 3 people:
The artist – who wants to use colour with respect + meaning.
The healer – who knows colour is medicine, but wants tools.
The curious – who saw a rainbow after rain and felt something shift.
This is not an academic text. It’s a practice book. Part kōrero, part science, part ritual.
Use it however you need. Colour in the pages. Try the 5-day practice. Read one page after rain.
E Uenuku, may this book be useful, and may it draw your people into my world.
— Te Uira, Melbourne, 2026
THE CLOAK OF UENUKU
Part 1: The Light
What Is Chromotherapy?
Ancient Pigments of the World
The Science: Light is Colour
Uenuku: Atua of the Rainbow
More Pūrakau of Uenuku
Part 2: The Colours
Māori Pigments: Ngā tae
Māori Colour Language
Techniques: Tā Moko + Painting
Colour Meaning in Healing
Neuroscience: What Happens in Your Brain
Global Spiritual Colour
Part 3: The Practice
Modern Chromotherapy: 7 Ways Today
Making Pigment Today
Colour in Your Studio
Colour for Your Mood: 5-Day Practice
Colour First Aid Kit
Respect in Use
Working with Colour
My Practice as Te Uira
Colour Rituals
Part 4: The Journey
Colour + Emotion Journal
Colour + The Body
Colour + Nature in Aotearoa
Uenuku in the Whenua: Places
27 pages, illustrated collectable printable ebook available now.
$22AUD.
