MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

TE AO TAWHITO

UENUKU – Tribal Atua of

Tainui,Wood, 267cm, Te Tipunga
Period (1200-1500)Found at Lake
Ngaroto 1906, Photography, Brian
Brake, in „Maori Art‟.

THE ANCIENT WORLD OF

MAORI
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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

TE AO TAWHITO

To try and analyse Maori Art making within a Western scientific and
cultural context is to perpetuate the situating of indigenous knowledge as
inferior, primitive, untruthful and immature. (Wereta, 2007) Pound says
that “early 1900s Maori art was given toleration, as the comparative
positioning with classical art of Europe situated it within Surrealist
theorising that reflected a belief of a primitivism in art, as with the
culture.” (Pound 1994, cit.in ibid p4)

Far from being primitive, Maori art making reflected a staggering depth of knowledge of the natural
and spiritual realms and their integration that depended more on the manipulation of invisible forces
than the simple rendition of what the physical eye registers.

THE ART MAKER AS TOHUNGA

In the Maori worldview the practice of art making was the province of the Metaphysician – the
Tohunga. The word itself is symbolic, with multiple layers of meaning (as is most of Te Reo Maori in
the language of the Tohunga). One interpretation is Tohu meaning sign or symbol, plus nga plural
definitive article. This is apt because the Tohunga was expert at interpreting signs in the natural
realm, and in dreams and visions. He was also learned in the visual language of symbology,
referencing cosmology, whakapapa, whenua, star lore, heroes, deeds – in fact all the accumulated
knowledge, lore and law of a people unique to Aotearoa and in the world.

In the Tuhoe dialect the word is To-huna, meaning adept of the hidden, or Master of the spiritual
realms. The equivalent in Christian theology would be Master of the Mysteries, or Priest depending
on the following adjective describing functional office, e.g. Tohunga Ahurewa, Tohunga Whakairo
and so on. Tuhoe Tohuna, Hohepa Kereopa explained that the word is derived from the phrase
whakato huna, meaning to plant a seed, which is a very evocative symbol of the Tohuna‟s Art. (Moon
2003)

The Rev. Maori Marsden and others are quite clear that the English translation of Tohunga as
„expert‟ is a mistaken idea that arose from observing that Maori used the term in
association with recognised experts in a particular field. Marsden adds that tohu also
means manifestation and that Tohunga can also mean „a chosen one‟ or „appointed one‟,
which is encouraging for those of us possessed of a need to make art. (Marsden, 2003, p1 4)

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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

ART AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

As a spiritual Adept, the Tohunga could not only hear, see and feel invisible energies and
entities, but could with word, sound and gesture, manipulate spiritual forces. Because these
forces are dangerous to non-initiates, the whole process of art making was bounded by laws
of tapu and noa, balancing mauri and mana.

This is an important concept when examining Maori Art, because it lifts art making and art
objects out of the merely material and/or representational and even symbolic. In fact the
second realm beyond the physical, the Tua-Uri, is considered the „real world‟ behind the
world of sense perception “where the cosmic processes originated and continue to operate
as a complex series of rhythmical patterns of energy to uphold, sustain and replenish the
energies and life of the natural world” 1. (Marsden cit. in Bevan-Brown, 1998, p232).

It is in this second realm that forces such as Mauri, Mana and Wairua reside, inciting the
often quoted “Te ihi, te wehi, te wana” (spiritual power, awe, authority) when a true
artwork surrounded with whakapapa, korero and karakia is encountered, especially in its
original context (Brown, 2003)

These rhythmical patterns of energy are clearly discernible to Matakite (prophets, seers)
and anyone naturally sensitive, or guided by a Tohunga to feel the vibrations of living
objects. For example Moon (2003) describes Tohunga Hohepa Kereopa guiding him to
detect the difference in vibrancy of a healthy tree and a dying tree. These vibration s are
still discernible in natural materials such as wood and stone and plant fi bres even when cut
and shaped. Recently I was invited to hold the whalebone hei -tiki of Tohunga Whare-Huia.
It felt ordinarily warm from skin contact, but what was extraordina ry was the strength of
the buzzing vibration of this beautiful tupuna-wahine taonga, and the peace and acceptance
it imparted.

THE USE OF FIRE IN ART MAKING

All things were named according to their physical properties and mauri, admitting sentience
to all the children of Papatuanuku and Ranginui, which leads me to speculate that perhaps
Maori had reason not to develop metallurgy, or pottery to any great degree. Fire has the
power to destroy Mauri (although it has a mauri of its own), most obviously in cook ed food,
which was used to disperse tapu. Some Tohunga would only bathe in cold water so that
their state of tapu was maintained.

1
A belief seconded by Einstein, and the New Physicists.

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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

In regard to using fire to change the nature of natural material, a parallel clue in the
Hebrew‟s book of Enoch records that the art of metallurgy was forbidden to humans pre-
flood and under Mosaic Law the mixing of fibres and certain foods was forbidden
especially to the Priesthood. Why should this be so?

The Book of Enoch and other Biblical texts refer to a technologically sophisticated non -
human civilisation out of control, and Maori and other Polynesian peoples have pre -historic
oral records of the devastating explosion of an 8 th planet between Mars and Neptune (now
an asteroid belt) due to out of control technology. 2 Or, perhaps it simply has to do with the
detectable change in vibrational energy of the raw materials as much as any philosophical
considerations.

However, fire was used by Tohunga to alter art materials in the making of charcoal, Ta
Moko pigments from the ash of certain plants, and lime from seashells for making symbols
in highly tapu rituals (Robinson, 2005)

KAUWAKATANGA – THE ARTIST AS SPIRITUAL VESSEL

The Tohunga Artist was also known to be an Atua Kauwaka. (Ibid) Atua are spiritual entities, kau
means to swim, and waka is a vessel, so the artist was a spiritual channel or medium as well as being
attuned to natural and cosmic forces. With the energies of gesture and sound – kupu, karakia and
waiata, the Tohunga was able to bind, loose and shape spiritual forces into material objects by the
weaving of Te Aho – threads of cosmic energies symbolised by the puwerewere, the spider‟s web
kissed by dew being a material likeness of what the Matakite sees, and part of the esoteric information
imbedded within traditional carving patterns.3

HEI-TIKI
Taking the example of an iconic Maori symbol, the hei-tiki, usually rendered in pounamu, gives an
insight into traditional processes. Usually understood to symbolise primeval man and referencing the
creation of mankind, fertility, whakapapa and the foetus, the tiki is also an object of sacred power.
First of all the stone itself had a sacred whakapapa tracing back to the union of Tane and Rangahore,
with Poutini being the Atua of pounamu. The Tohunga was able to detect the vibrational energy
(mauri) of stone as well as being familiar with its physical properties. In shaping the pounamu, the
Tohunga would be in a state of tapu. Using his own wairua with the recitation of appropriate karakia,
he would imbue the Tiki with mana, from himself and from Atua.4

2
I will not cite sources at this time, as I intend to research this fascinating subject for later publication.
3
A little of the lore of the Whare Maire.
4
For a superb treatise on the use of symbolism by Tohunga to gain an understanding of the forces of nature and
the cosmos, see Rev. Maori Marsden‟s The Woven Universe, pp30-32

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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

Because the Tiki was a sacred and beautiful object, it was most often worn by a person who also
possessed great mana, and usually a woman as the bearer and protector of the human foetus. Because
of its nature, the Tiki absorbed mana from its wearer and all subsequent owners, so its force became
greater and more tapu over time. Such a tiki could become dangerous if it was misappropriated by a
person with less mana than the object had accumulated, or whose whakapapa was not attuned to it.

In Icons – Nga Taonga (2004, p16)

a story is related about an unusual
hei-tiki acquired by collector T.E.
Donne, who showed it to a
(unnamed) Nga Puhi Tohunga. He
would not handle the hei-tiki
because it was tapu. Pointing to it
he said “I do not like that one, and I
would not own it, as it is full of
duplicity – it is two-faced.” Donne
than turned it over and showed him
that it was two-faced in reality.

INTRINSIC SPIRITUALITY OF ART OBJECTS

The same principles apply to Whakairo Rakau depending on the purpose of the work and the amount
of tapu involved. There was no religious symbology as such, because spirituality was intrinsic to all
aspects of life, especially art that served as a nexus between the physical and metaphysical realms and
was capable of habitating atua or tupuna. (Plate 11 Whakapakoko)

The three realms relating to Tane‟s three baskets of knowledge – Aro-nui (secular knowledge and the
natural world surrounding us and apprehended by the senses), Tua-uri (cosmic processes and
energies) and Te Ao Tua-atea (the spiritual world beyond space-time, infinite and eternal) was
perceived as an integrated whole. (Marsden cit. in Bevan-Brown, 1998)

In Te Maori (p32) Moko-Mead talks about Art or a Mountain being clothed with kupu and korero. He
says that Taonga contain immanent power on which are pinned a host of powerful words, and that
(some) go to a priest to protect themselves from the “power of the words clinging to the objects”, i.e.
the karakia, rituals, and incantations that act as bridges between the living and the dead, or the
temporal and spiritual realms.

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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

SYMBOLISM, SURREALISM AND REPRESENTATION OF

SPIRITUAL BEINGS AND FORCES

A TUA
The Te Maori Exhibition was led by the Atua Uenuka, and for the first time the Western World was
able to encounter in a real way the true meaning of mahi-toi, not just as a visual curiosity, but as a
means of entering into a different realm and encountering a living spiritual entity.

The symbolism of the artwork was not wholly revealed by Tohunga at the time of the exhibition, and
because of the actual use of symbolism, visual and aural, as mnemonic devices for the recall and
recitation of lore, they could not. There also remains much
esoteric knowledge requiring protection. However, Timoti
Robinson is one of the first Tohunga to have written about
the most tapu lore of the Tohunga Ahurewa. According to
Robinson (2005), the negative space inside the circle at the
top of tokotauwaka, (mnemonic devices used for the
teaching and recitation of lore) speaks of the realm of Te
Kore and the infinite, unfathomable attributes of Io (and he
presents compelling evidence for a pre-contact Io cult, as do
Marsden and Pere).

The seven bands of the rainbow are represented in the crest

of the carving. Uenuku was the Pacific equivalent of the
Angel that led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the
wilderness, mentioned in many accounts of the migrations
of nga Iwi Maori from Hawaaiki contained in tribal
narratives.

It should be noted that the sculpture in no way equates to the concept of an Idol, anymore than a light
bulb equates to electricity. Kaumatua and Contemporary Maori Artist, Sandy Adsett, explained that
like many other cultures believing in a Creator God, Maori refused to emulate the work of Atua by
creating naturalistic images. (Toi Awhio Hui, 2008)

L IZARDS – M OKO , T UATARA , K AWEAU , T ANIWHA , M ANAIA

It is noteworthy that apart from representations of made objects such as patu, almost the only realistic
form rendered was that of the Moko (Lizard). The Lizard is an ancient symbol for mana, tapu and
mauri. It is the guardian of the spirit world, guardian of wisdom and knowledge and is also the
symbol of the tapu of Chiefs. ... Moko (is) also the word for tattooing. Chiefs were referred to as

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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

tuatara and kaweau, and taniwha. The green lizard symbolised the personification of death and
disease, though generally speaking their role was guardianship. (Source uncited) 5

A BSTRACTION
Another major feature of Maori Art is abstraction and transformations, especially bird features
merging with human. Part of that whakapapa could refer to the demi-god Maui‟s transformation into
a kahu and kereru to enter the underworld undetected. Another famous legend of Te Arawa recounts
the adventures of Hatupatu and his encounters with the „birdwoman‟, who may have been a member
of another man-like species, extinct and consigned to legend, as are tipua – goblins, and Patupaiarehe,
Te Hapu Oneone with the ability to turn to stone, and other ancient races that from time to time are
said to have bred with humans.6

Birds were very strong Tohu and messengers. Kaiako Whakairo Shannon (?surname) says that Ruru
(owls) were considered particularly capable of traversing the spiritual realm and that is the probable
symbology of Koruru placed at the apex of Whare Tupuna.

Tohunga Matakite and Ahurewa could also merge their consciousness with the Kahu for astral travel.
Within Tuhoe kahu feathers were highly prized for heru and as much symbolic of Mana Rangatira as
those of the Huia.

M ANAIA – MYTHOLOGICAL BEINGS ?

Dr D.H. Skinner considers that Manaia relate to a distant Avian culture somewhere in early Maori
History (cf 7below). Dr Barrow agrees, noting the belief that birds are omens – intermediaries
between man and spirits. Kendell, in his early writings mentioned that these were protective spirits
surrounding the chiefly person representing his mana, aura, prestige and charisma. The word Manaia
means „containing mana‟ and the symbol is used to 1. Reinforce or acknowledge the spiritual state, 2.
Express mana, aura, power, charisma of the chiefly person, and 3. Fills the various spaces
artistically. (ibid)

These beaked or bird-like figures may not be based on actual birds, and could be symbolic of an
extinct species perhaps related to pterodactyl, in the same way that Taniwha were actual creatures
related to dinosaurs and the dragons of Celtic and Chinese mythology. A recent Television One News
item announced the discovery of dinosaur footprints in the Tasman Nelson region (October 2009),
which is no surprise at all to Maori who have always asserted their existence in Aotearoa dating from
the time that New Zealand was part of Gondwanaland, knowledge of which has been retained in the

5
These quotes from uncited photocopied notes that had done the rounds of Whakairo students and made their
way into the Rauangi studio, but containing valuable information for my own areas of inquiry.
6
In the case of Patupaiarehe and Te Hapu Oneone it now seems pakeha claim these early races for their own
with their apparent Celtic links. This is an area that I have been reviewing for a year or so, and I am beginning to
form some other hypotheses. Whatever the outcome of the debate, Tuhoe as an Indigenous Nation, claims
whakapapa to these and other legendary peoples, as well as links to other migratory route nations .

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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

most ancient recitations of the indigenous nations of Tuhoe and Waitaha.7 Brown (2003) notes the
use of serpentine forms in Taitokerau carvings which may be symbolic of Taniwha. All waka have
their oral records of interaction with these legendary and spiritual creatures.

Whether there was ever a physical species of that form or not, many matakite Maori are aware of
manaia as one of the etheric forms of kaitiaki (spiritual guardians).

Another fascinating figure in carving is that of the Marakihau – a benevolent fish eating creature of
the deep, somewhat resembling the early European sailors‟ tales of mermaid. As yet I know little of
the mythology surrounding these beings, and I look forward to being enlightened by learned
kaumatua.

T UPUNA – A NCESTRAL F IGURES

To Western eyes most of the carved images looked surreal, but “Ancestral figures were abstracted
symbolising their spiritual state. These were developed because the artist cannot visualise something
with no prototype in this world. They have the same symbolic integrity as the angel with wings
8
... Prof.McMillan Brown (1907) said that two old carvers in the Urewera considered it
tapu to represent the true human figure as ancestors are spirit s and the features must be
obscured.” (ibid)

T HREE FINGERS
J.P.S. Graham (1921) related a myth about the convention of figures being carved with
three fingers, “Pere-tu had only three fingers; this was not a deformity but a sign of his
god-like descent from a reptilian ancestor 9”. Thus three fingers symbolises men of god -like
descent. Elsdon Best (1924) said that the three fingered hand appears in many ancient
cultures – on Etruscan tombs, Japanese sculptures, in Peru, and Babylonia etc. It was the
ancient Chinese ideograph for Man and was also found in old carvings of Greece and India.
Fatima‟s hand placed over Mohammedan doors to ward off evil had three fingers, and
ancient sculptures of Ninevah display the three haohao seen on Maori fingers, and is so old

7
E.g. in Robinson
8
I find the above quote particularly interesting, as many years ago I had personal experience of the prejudice of
some religious‟ believing that carvings of tupuna were demonic and should be burnt as “idols”. My thought at
the time (as an admittedly uneducated Maori) was that if that was the case, then pakeha should also burn their
photo albums and ancestral portraits of their dead ancestors. I hadn‟t carried that thought further at that time to
the European portrayals of spiritual entities such as Angels, and I was unaware of the actual destruction of
carvings that is now part of New Zealand‟s shameful post-contact history.
9
A belief also held by many ancient peoples in legend, and some latter day psychics, such as European
spiritualist, Madam Blavatsky who also posits a Polynesian avian culture. It is a concept that has also shown up
in my own art practice of kauwakatanga, of which I intend to publish more later.

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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

the origin is lost. (ibid) The three fingers are also said to symbolise the three states of
existence: 1. The embryonic or suspended state, 2. The earthly state, and 3. The state of
death or perfection. Also a. The state of Noa, b. The state of Tapu, and c. The state of birth
into this world. (Kendall in Binney, ibid) 10

G ENDER DEPICTION , GENDER FUNCTION , SEXUALITY

Sexual attributes were freely depicted in ancestral poupou, and an understanding of the symbology
tells us a lot about the pragmatism and honour accorded sexuality and the balance of male and female
within Maori society and cosmology.

Some ancestral figures have a smaller tiki figure between the legs in place of genitals. This represents
the line of offspring from that Tupuna. An erect penis grasped in the hand
represents the power of procreation, mana, whakapapa and ancestral
connection. Female genitalia symbolise the power to give birth and sustain
life, and refer to the mana and tapu of women “who attend to the beginning
of life, the welfare of humankind, and the soul after death” (Icons Nga
Taonga, 2004, p46).

An extremely important element of a Tupuna Whare, or Wharenui, is the

female figure over the pare (door lintel). In this case the genitals perform
whakanoa. This is a sacred female function to remove tapu and make safe.
This female figure also occurs above the window space where tupapaku are
passed in and out of the wharenui, symbolic of our tupuna kuia, Hine-nui-
te-po, atua of the underworld and caretaker of the dead.

This use of the feminine forces is also part of the ritual associated with the
opening of a new wharenui and the releasing of Tohunga Whakairo from
the tapu of their mahi. “The first woman crossing the threshold of a new
wharenui (opening ceremony) is removing tapu from every carved piece in
the building and releasing from each piece the guardian spirits and
returning them to their forest home. No tree in the forest was touched
without first approaching and propitiating the guardians of the tree and the
forest god Tane Mahuta.” (Source uncited)

With the opening of Tuhoe‟s Mataatua Marae in Rotorua, the first person to cross the threshold was a
young Puhi, a noble maiden. With the understanding that a virgin has the ability to tuia, to raise and
neutralise tapu without harm to herself or others, I was proud to have my own daughter be the first to
cross the threshold of an 1998 art exhibition at Hamurana Springs Gallery “Taonga”, where some of
the exhibits were ancient treasures of Te Arawa.

10
This quote from Binney‟s Legacy of Guilt.

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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

Whakanoa is also one of the functions of the Tohunga

Ruahine, and of women in general to balance the tapu
forces of men, not, as is often misunderstood as a
violation of male tapu, or „contamination‟ by unclean
females (a Victorian European attitude). The feminine
force is highly protective, capable of cleansing and
healing harmful influences, including the tapu of death
and disease.

Traditionally males involved in carving were required

to refrain from intercourse to maintain their state of
tapu. Because of the power of the neutralising forces
(whakanoa), understood as the 6th chakra in Indian traditions, women were customarily trained not to
step over a man‟s body, or anything under the protection of tapu, such as mahi toi raranga, or
whakairo. This is probably the origin of the traditions in some Iwi of banning women from entering
the workplace of Tohunga Whakairo, although there are instances of Mareikura and Tohunga Wahine
being engaged in carving11 and ta moko, as well as the mainly feminine domains of raranga, tukutuku,
and less well known, kowhaiwhai.

The other symbolism to do with sexuality that has often been misinterpreted is conjugality. Poet-
Writer Hone Tuwhare wrote a classic piece about a carving on top of a gateway, of his tipuna in a
sexual embrace:

“Totem thoughts – She was seated between his thighs with her legs wrapped around his hips in
classic style – a style not unknown to the Ngati Tarawhai carvers – her feet locked together behind
his back, twiddling her toes. She looked arch. I guess she was comfortable.

“My male Ancestor looked fearsome ... as if I were some kind of truant intruder – a Jack Nohi. He
said „...well, if the pa is NOT under attack, why don‟t you piss off then?

“The pa was about to be taken over I am bound to say – by a GLIB COMMERCIAL INTEREST. But
who cares for that? For lovers – like my ancestors, it was a period of supreme self containment: a
timely and a timeless happening – history, art, more sex: me.”

(Maori Artists of the South Pacific, p80)

At Tatahoata Marae, Ruatahuna, there is a carving of a large male figure sexually connected to a small
female figure. I was told by a man who should have known better, that it was a disgusting carving
showing a man having incestuous sex with a child. In fact it depicts the sacred union of an atua (big)
with a human woman (small) so symbolising our divine lineage.

This art record parallels the Hebrew book of Genesis: 6v4 “In those days, and for some time after,
giant Nephilim lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with the daughters of

11
See Brown (2003) Tai Tokerau Whakairo Rakau for instance

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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

men, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.” In
Maori mythology, our most famous cultural hero, Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga was of this „nephilim‟
type.

Judging from the size of some of the taiaha held in Te Papa‟s collection, the wielders of these
weapons must indeed have been giants - perhaps evidence of the veracity of ancient legends of the
interbreeding of an extra-terrestial race („sons of God‟, Atua) with humans.12

WHAKAIRO - SURFACE PATTERNS

In carving, surface patterns may have been ideographic as well as mnemonic. Certainly they were
used with enough consistency to be on a par with American Indian pictograms, and ancient Celtic
symbolism. Whether Maori symbology counts as “writing” is debatable in that it is not a phonetic
language as Western Society understands literacy. However, the pattern symbology of carvings,
kowhaiwhai, and tukutuku as combined in the Wharenui is clearly discerned as “language” by learned
kaumatua and Tohunga, and that is certainly the case with the practice of Ta Moko, especially kanohi
(facial moko). For specifics on whakairo symbology, Hirini Moko-Mead‟s book Te Toi Whakairo is
recommended basic reading.

KOWHAIWHAI

Post contact the practice of painting kowhaiwhai has been consistently underrated in comparison to
the mana of the practice of carving, and generally interpreted as simple patterns with little
understanding of its distinctive sacred function within the wharenui. This is because the function of
the Tohunga Ruahine has been overlooked in the colonial anthropologic literature, and paint practice
assumed to have been a male preserve.

Symbolically the whole Wharenui represents Tupuna, Whanau and Hapu. Every part of its
construction and decoration functions together as a whole, as the various members of our body form a
smoothly functioning interdependent whole. The Tahuhu, or spine of the ancestral body, symbolises
the main ancestral line of descent, and the heke (rafters) represent other descent lines as in the
whakatauki “Te Iho Makawerau” (Iho of a hundred hairs). Iho can be translated as the umbilical
cord connecting us to the whenua of the Mother. Salmond in Te Maori explains the whakatauki as
saying that the lines of descent come down to a person like the hundred hairs of the head, bringing
power from the ancestors and effective force into the world.

12
Certainly interesting to speculate on, especially for Maori who hold creation legends in common with the
Hebrew and other non-western nations – perhaps more palatable than believing in descent from a fish, or
monkey, although creationism and evolution theories are not mutually exclusive, especially to an Artist. Here‟s
a quote from Kaiako Darren Keith: “How many Surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb?” answer: “Fish”.

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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

Some of the symbolism of kowhaiwhai speaks of the concerns of the Ruahine, for example Pitau-a-
Manaia, the foetus nestled within the ponga frond referencing continuation of descendants – life and
death, as in the whakatauki associated with ponga „When an old Chief dies, a new Chief will arise‟.

Functionally, painted kowhaiwhai serves the mainly feminine function of tuia to raise tapu and keep
the wharenui free of curses and witchcraft. This should be of interest to painters, as the word for
„drawing‟ is tuhia. In the sacred language of the Whare Maire tuia is pronounced with a whistled
„h‟.13

Kaiako Rauangi and contemporary Maori Artist, Chris Bryant (Toi Awhio hui, 2008), explained that
the Manawa (heart) line of kowhaiwhai and the curls of the koru (kawai) represent the vine and
tendrils of the hue (calabash), and he poked gentle fun at Te Arawa telling tourists that the koru
originated from the fern frond. Thus kowhaiwhai traces our whakapapa back to Africa, the origin of
the gourd, most likely brought as seed from recent (5000 years) migration routes.

GENERAL COMMENT

There is so much more information available on the symbolic significance of other Artworks –
weaponry, architecture, waka, use of colour, waka tupapaku, highly abstracted kowhaiwhai, dress,
adornment and so on. The best sources of information remain with the oral traditions of Kaumatua
and the Tohunga currently engaged in traditional and contemporary art making. A new generation of
Maori intellectuals are applying huge energies into researching and articulating the way the world
looks to Maori, and Maori experience of the world, and reclaiming Matauranga Maori as by Maori,
for Maori and the world. It is an exciting privilege to be part of this ongoing cultural and intellectual
renaissance, exploring the realm of

TE AO TAWHITO

THE ANCIENT WORLD OF NGA IWI MAORI O AOTEAROA.

13
Lore of the Whare Maire

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 MAORI ART Symbolism and Surrealism: Te Ao Tawhito Tuhua

References

Binney, Judith, 1968, A Legacy of Guilt: a Life of Thomas Kendall, Oxford U.P., Auckland.

Brake, Brian, 1984, Maori Art: The Photography of Brian Brake, Penguin, NZ

Brown, Deidre, 2003, Tai Tokerau Whakairo Rakau Northland Maori Wood Car ving, Reed,
Auckland.

Mataira, Katerina, 1984, Maori Artists of the South Pacific, New Zealand Maori Artists and
Writers Society, Raglan NZ

Moko Mead, Hirini, 1986, Te Toi Whakairo The Art of Maori Carving, Reed, Auckland.

Moon, Paul, 2003, Tohunga: Hohepa Kereopa, David Ling, Auckland

Pere, Rose, 1991, Te Wheke: a Celebration of Infinite Wisdom, Ao Ako Global Learning NZ

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Tohunga: Adept of the Whare Maire, Artist, Healer
Introductory Essay on the Tohungatanga of Maori Art

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