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Figure 33: Maxwell H. (2011) Series of Tiki Wananga-inspired artefact dug into the ground.
Bisque fired tiki wananga-inspired artefact dressed with red feathers and placed strategically on the land as boundary pegs.
The tiki wananga-inspired artefacts were made from small portions of clay and individually shaped.
They were dried over a longer period of time because of their bulk. They were displayed at different
locations without decoration. When all the artefacts were completed and ready for display in the forest
of Murray Gibb, the tiki wananga-inspired artefacts were decorated with woven taura and red
feathers 35 before being placed in the ground as boundary markers around the work displayed while
chanting karakia.
Influences
POUWHENUA
Several practices and artists have influenced the pouwhenua installation from both the colonial era
customs and more contemporary times. In the Hokianga wananga, Kupe is the first tohunga whakairo
(master carver), followed by Nukutawhiti and Ruanui. According to Paki Harrison, tohunga
whakaairo, between 1500 and 1800 only two Ngapuhi carvers are spoken about. They were Kohuru
Te Whata (Mangakahia) and Pakira (Mangamuka) a woman. Also influential was Henare Toka,
Ngapuhi carver who during the 1960‟s assisted Graham Povey‟s introduction of Maori art into the
education curriculum. Other imminent carvers of that time were Eramiha Kapua (Rotoura), adze
35 Red feathers denote the red skies from the spilling of the blood of Ranginui during the separation with Papatuanuku
48