Carving
Category
Ethnographic material
Date
Unknown
Materials
Wood and paint
Measurements
33 cm (Width) x 6 cm (Depth); 562 cm (Length)
Collection
Clandon Park, Surrey
NT 1440212.7
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
Pae Pae (bottom carving) from Hinemihi (Maori meeting house) brought back from New Zealand by the 4th Earl of Onslow - Governor from 1888 to 1892. The Pae Pae runs along the threshold of the Building. There are 3 faces by the door threshold to keep an eye on who is coming and going.