Wood carving
by or after Wero Tāroi
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
1881
Materials
Totara wood and paint
Measurements
43 cm (Width) x 33 cm (Depth); 224 cm (Length); 30.5 cm (Depth)
Collection
Clandon Park, Surrey
NT 1440212.14
Summary
Totara wood pane in the form of two carved ancestor figures. Sitting in the tāhuhu (roof or roof rafter) space of the porch of Hinemihi o te Ao Tawhito, Hinemihi of the Old World. Hinemihi is considered the living embodiment of the ancestress Hinemihi and functioned as a wharenui (meeting house) for Ngāti Tarāwhai iwi (tribe) in Te Wairoa. Completed in 1881. Reading the wood, the carving narrative shows that the pākati (incised pattern) design is different on each ancestor – potentially displaying the work of two carvers. Hinemihi’s name is inscribed near the head of the female figure, representing the ancestor herself. Hinemihi was brought to Clandon Park by the 4th Earl of Onslow when he ended his tenure as Governor of New Zealand from 1888 to 1892.
Makers and roles
by or after Wero Tāroi, carver by or after Tene Waitere, carver