Te Kohinga Taoka Māori

Collection Record

Kūwaha pātaka

Consists of two figures – perhaps Rangi-nui and Papa-tū-ā-nuku embracing - with a third figure under their legs forming, with other carvings, a lintel over the opening. Along the proper left side are three other faces, each with moko. The faces of all the figures have been left black while the rest of the carving is painted red. The eyes are inlaid with pāua shell. The top and right hand side show evidence of shaping for fitting the pātaka, as well there are holes for lashing on the right hand side. The carving may depict Rangi and Papa and some of their many sons who, until their parents were parted, lived in the darkness between their bodies. Tane personified the sun and was the fertiliser of the land and all its creatures; Tangaroa personified the sea and its inhabitants. These children of Rangi and Papa personified natural phenomena such as the sun, the moon, the sea, and the winds.

Provenance Place:
Unlocalised, New Zealand

D10.286

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