Carving
Category
Ethnographic material
Date
Unknown
Materials
Wood and paint
Measurements
52 cm (Width) x 31 cm (Depth); 488 cm (Length)
Collection
Clandon Park, Surrey
NT 1440212.3
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
Maihi and Raparapa (proper right hand board) from Hinemihi (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.