Rauru Tene Waitere, Maori Carving, Colonial History

Tene Waitere of Ngati Tarawhai (1854-1931) was the most innovative Maori carver of his time; his works reached global audiences decades before the globalization of culture became a fashionable topic. Rauru is the highlight of a famous anthropological museum in Germany. Hinemihi, the carved house featured in one section of this book, sheltered survivors of the Tarawera eruption in 1886 before being removed to the park of an English country house. The magnificent His carved Ta Moko panel is one of Te Papa the Museum of New Zealand's icons. Three out of four historic Maori meeting-houses located outside New Zealand were carved or partly carved by Waitere. The travels of his work tell us something about the interplay between empire and art, about what is made of history now. The combined perspectives of his descendants, of a leading contemporary carver, of a master photographer and a distinguished anthropologist and historian of Pacific art make this book unique as a dialogue as well as a revelation of great works of Maori art.