Carving
Category
Ethnographic material
Date
Unknown
Materials
Wood and paint
Measurements
1310 x 330 x 220 mm
Collection
Clandon Park, Surrey
NT 1440212.2
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
Tekoteko and Upoko. One of the carvings from Hinemihi (Maori meeting house) brought back from New Zealand by the 4th Earl of Onslow - Governor from 1888 to 1892. The lower mask is Te Rangi Takaroa, Hinemihi’s father. The Tekoteko above is Te Rauwhai, Hinemihi’s grandfather.