‘Three Wooden Statues’
Three Wooden Statues
Tag: Maori
Skyward Prow
‘Skyward Prow’
…another take on the impressive Māori canoe in glass, situated at the entrance to the Auckland Art Gallery. the vertical sculpture points to the sky…
Three Wooden Statues
‘Three Wooden Statues’
Face Of Stone
‘Face Of Stone’
Tekoteko II
‘Tekoteko II’
Taking Flight
‘Taking Flight’
Blue Swirl Reflections
Geometric swirls of a carved gateway to a Maori marae ( meeting place) reimagined in blue, and mirrored.
Not as the carver intended, but how it was in my mind’s eye, on a day where the mood was blue, little was calm in my head and mental waves churned like the sea below the marae.
And, after a little reflection (so to speak), I’m okay with that.
A Fine Ensign
The ensign of The Royal Akarana Yacht Club furls in the breeze at Auckland’s Okahu Bay on a fine Sunday afternoon.
Simply, ensigns are naval flags.
I do enjoy a good flag, and especially the value they have to groupings of peoples as symbols and signifiers of their commonality.
Elsewhere on this blog I have discussed how symbols boil down to the essence of what is important to someone and lay that out in simple, readily understandable terms to others.
“This is who I am”; “this is what we are”.
This one ticks a few boxes with its triangular, sail-like shape and crown composed of sails and boats.
On the day I took this picture, there was practice for some international regatta, and I saw young Irish and Italian sailors at work . I could first tell where they were from by their flags!
Footnote: Akarana is a Maori transliteration of Auckland, using the phonetics of that language to spell out the English word. There are no “l” or “d” sounds in Maori, so the closest Maori sounds are used. Also, Maori words resolve in vowels.
Stare Of Taikehu
Another fearsome pou ,this time depicting Taikehu, an ancestral figure of Auckland Maori.
See his companion piece here in my previous post: Gaze Of Hoturoa
It is the constant remembrance of tipuna (ancestors)by Maori that I admire greatly.
Western thinking is so much in the now, and while that can be a good thing, we should not forget the sacrifice and leadership of those who have gone before. They connect and ground us to our physical and metaphysical place in the world, and they inspire our futures.
Gaze Of Hoturoa
The unblinking stare of a pouwhenua ( carved wooden figurine ) of Hoturoa.
Hoturoa was an an ancestral Maori naval commander of centuries ago.
His image stands upon an Auckland headland, high above the sea.
Gazing out over the ocean and almost, it seems,across time…
Leaves And Waves
View through the branches of a pohutukawa tree and down to the waves of Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour yesterday.
‘Waitemata’ means ‘sparkling waters’ in Maori.
Very apt – the sun’s reflection from the water was absolutely dazzling to the eyes.
Anyway, enjoy your day people. I hope it sparkles like this view.
Whare Iti (Little House)
Cool little Maori storehouse at Orakei Marae in Auckland.
An original ” tiny house “(before they were trendy) ,but with striking ,elaborate carved frontage that no price could be put on.
Quite possibly the best mattress storage space in the world!
The Monolith Looms
in onehunga
the monolith looms
on the hill
we all see
what is missing
as keenly
as what
is left behind
the slopes of cornwall park
rolling gentle and green
a central city country estate
shared by joggers and dog walkers
scaring sheep
avoiding bulls
– excerpt from ‘Octopus Auckland: 8 Suburbs’, poem by Karlo Mila
With these words my poet friend Karlo describes the pictured hill ,Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill as it is also known) and the surrounding Cornwall Park near the suburb of Onehunga ,Auckland. Photos are from my regular visits there.Seven other suburbs also get the treatment in her analogy of my hometown as a ‘feke'(Tongan for octopus).
Footnote ,and to clarify some of the stanza: The large pine tree that once graced the summit is gone, mortally wounded in a chainsaw attack of protest almost twenty years ago by a Maori activist. What remains is the striking obelisk in the centre frame. It was conceived in times gone by as a “memorial” to the indigenous Maori people, whom many European settlers then thought would gradually die out.
However,they, like the obelisk, are still here…
Tekoteko
Pictured is the tekoteko , carved figurines, representing ancestors of the Ngati Whatua,the iwi( tribe) whose main marae is where I was working today,at Orakei ,Auckland.
Fascinating and fearsome in black! The bird of prey at the bottom is different to many such meeting houses – I need to look into the story behind it,and all three figurines,will get back if I find out more….
Gateway To The Meeting House
The gateway to the meeting house ( or wharenui, literally “big house”) at Orakei Marae, Auckland, NZ with its ornate carvings and traditional spiral motifs. Close ups of two of the carved figures are featured in the previous post I am lucky enough to work at this beautiful and powerful place, delivering weekly community legal clinics in rooms behind this structure (in a considerably less ornate building I have to say).Before or afterwards, I have taken many shots of this turangawaewae (standing place) of the Ngati Whatua iwi(tribe).Again, symbols and stories abound…
Kaitiaki(Guardians)
Ebb Then Flood 