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Ben on a mission (April 2006)

Ariki Ashby, aka Bernett Hana, aka Ben Hana, who prefers to be called Brother but is more widely known as Blanket Man as headlined by the local media is an infamous character in Wellington, New Zealand. Wearing only a loincloth and blanket and sporting dreadlocks, Hana worships the Māori sun god Ra. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links BenHana40. ... Image File history File links BenHana40. ... For the first Duke of Wellington, see Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. ... A loincloth is a one-piece male garment, sometimes kept in place by a belt, which covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks. ... Rastaman with long locks Dreadlocks, sometimes simply called locks or dreads, are interlocked coils of hair which tend to form by themselves, in all hair types, if the hair is washed regularly and allowed to grow naturally without the use of brushes, combs, razors, or scissors for a long period... This article is about the Māori people of New Zealand. ...

Sociology

The existence of Ben Hana (Blanket Man) and the surrounding debate has provoked several works that both question the existing information and attitudes, and deliver even more for digestion and comment:

• "A Different Way of Life" by Marcelina Mastalerz interview with "Brother" (also known as "Blanket Man")

• "Perceiving homelessness in Wellington" by Nyree Barrett^[1]

• Te Whanau o Aotearoa, a New Zealand documentary film by Errol Wright and Abi King-Jones. The New Zealand Film Archive, Nga Kaitiaki O Nga Taonga Whitiahua.

• Fans of Ben Hana, a website by Paul Moss. An eclectic collection of related images, thoughts, charts, and links.

• Aunt Jemima Prophecy: Cobra Sign is a novel by Steve Kenya. It is loosely based on the life of Ben Hana.

• In 2007 Victoria University sociology lecturer Mike Lloyd and PhD student Bronwyn McGovern's delivered a presentation titled "World Famous in Wellington: Blanket Man as contemporary celebrity" to the New Zealand Folklore Symposium^[2]

Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. ... For other uses, see Novel (disambiguation). ...

Misconduct

• In August 2005, Hana was also observed to be in possession of a motor vehicle apparently signaling that he had joined the property-owning classes. The vehicle was unregistered, and boasted no license plates after Hana forcibly removed them using a hammer still in its plastic wrapper. He then painted the words "Te Whaka" in large white letters where the number plates had previously been. After spending a few days illegally parked, the car was towed on 2005-08-05 and Hana was arrested. Te Whaka is probably translated as "the Waka", the Māori word for "canoe", which is also used to refer to cars, however could also be a pun as "wh" in Māori is pronounced "f".

• In September 2006, Hana appealed a drunk-driving conviction, again claiming the Toyota he was driving was not a car but a "waka".^[3] In appealing against the sentence, Hana's lawyer, Maxine Dixon, said he had reported for community work but it required the wearing of shoes and Hana had not worn shoes for seven years. He was assessed as unsuitable for community work and has applied for a sentence review. The appeal was dismissed.

For other uses, see Hammer (disambiguation). ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A waka displayed at the Otago Museum, Dunedin In the Māori language and New Zealand English, waka are Māori watercraft, usually canoes. ...

Media exposure

• An article, Academic unravels Blanket Man appeared on the Stuff.co.nz news website and also in the Dominion Post newspaper on December 5 2007. It described a lecture presented by a Victoria University of Wellington lecturer and PhD student which was based on Ben for the New Zealand Folklore Symposium at the National Library of New Zealand.
• One group of fans dressed in his likeness for the 2006 Rugby Sevens, received national television coverage for their creativity.
• An article, "Going Global: First Courtenay Place, now the world", appeared in the Wellington Dominion Post newspaper about Ben Hana and his Wikipedia article, on March 4, 2006.
• Ben appeared on National Television News (TV3) at 6pm NZST on June 25, 2006 in an article about the issues facing homeless people in Wellington, New Zealand.
• In late 2005, coverage in the Dominion Post noted Hana among a group of vagrants who are causing considerable concern for retailers and shoppers in the Cuba Mall/Manners Mall district.
• Te Whānau O Aotearoa – Caretakers of The Land is a 2003 documentary about Ben Hana.

Ben The Dominion Post is a metropolitan broadsheet newspaper published in Wellington, owned by the Australian Fairfax group, owners of The Age of Melbourne and The Sydney Morning Herald. ... is the 339th day of the year (340th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Victoria Universitys Kelburn Campus. ... The National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa in Maori) is New Zealands legal deposit library and a public service department, charged with the obligation to enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations (National Library of New... Bold text // Rugby sevens being played at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, which was held at Melbournes Telstra Dome. ... The Dominion Post is a metropolitan broadsheet newspaper published in Wellington, owned by the Australian Fairfax group, owners of The Age of Melbourne and The Sydney Morning Herald. ... is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... TV3 is a commercial television station in New Zealand. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (426x650, 61 KB) Summary A picture of Ben Hana, taken 06/03/06 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

Ben at home Image File history File links Download high resolution version (589x800, 158 KB) Summary Ben Hana, on Courtney Place (Burger King corner) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

Ben Hana with his flowery blanket Image File history File links NewBlanketMan. ...

Art versus politics

Film reviewer Bill Gosden said about Ben:

His project lends itself to art more readily than to politics. The picture of a pure, disinherited man whose very disconnection from the world that swirls around him is a critique of that world, is essentially a poetic one. What makes the picture compelling in this film is that it’s so grounded in the realities of life on the streets.^[4]

See also

• Sociology
• Vagrancy

Sociology (from Latin: socius, companion; and the suffix -ology, the study of, from Greek λόγος, lógos, knowledge [1]) is the scientific or systematic study of society, including patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture[2]. Areas studied in sociology can range from the analysis of brief contacts between anonymous... A vagrant is a person, almost always poor, without a home or regular work. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 339th day of the year (340th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Te Whānau O Aotearoa – Caretakers of The Land: 2003 documentary about Ben Hana
• Listener Article: Robert Jones, a homeless man who walked the streets of Wellington for two decades.
• A Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences: Study of Homelessness in Wellington, PDF
• WCC Community Health and Recreation Committee: Response to the Homelessness Task Force, PDF
• Fans of Ben Hana