Carving
Category
Ethnographic material
Date
Unknown
Materials
Wood
Measurements
214 x 9 x 3 cm
Collection
Clandon Park, Surrey
NT 1440212.20
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
Whakawae (outer proper left carved panel next to the door). From Maori meeting house brought back from New Zealand by the 4th Earl of Onslow - Governor from 1888 to 1892. Originally re-erected by the lake, she now stands in the garden near the East Front of the house. She is one of the oldest in existence, known as Hinemihi. This carving was carved in New Zealand and brought over to be attached to the building in 1995.