Hinemihi
Category
Ethnographic material
Date
1881
Materials
Wood
Order this imageCollection
Clandon Park, Surrey
NT 1440212
Caption
Hinemihi came from Te Wairoa, a North Island settlement destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886. She is named after a female ancestor of the tribe who lived at Te Wairoa. Few Maori meeting houses bear female names, but Hinemihi was an exceptional woman famous for keeping the company of a giant lizard as both a protector and pet.
Summary
23 carvings from a Maori whare or meeting house brought back from New Zealand by the 4th Earl of Onslow - Governor from 1888 to 1892. Originally erected with 23 carvings by the lake at Clandon Park, she now stands in the garden near the East Front of the house. She is one of the oldest in existence, known as Hinemihi.
Full description
Hinemihi