''Te Uenuku'', or simply ''Uenuku'', is an early

Māori carving Toi whakairo (art carving) or just whakairo (carving) is a Māori traditional art of carving in wood, stone or bone. History Timber was formed into houses, fencepoles, pouwhenua, containers, taiaha, tool handles and waka (boats). Carving tool ...

housed at Te Awamutu Museum in the North Island of New Zealand. ''Te Uenuku'' (literally "The Rainbow") represents

Uenuku Uenuku (or Uenuku-Kōpako, also given to some who are named after him) is an atua of rainbows and a prominent ancestor in Māori tradition. Māori believed that the rainbow's appearance represented an omen, and one kind of yearly offering made ...

, a tribal

atua Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian peoples such as the Māori or the Hawaiians (see also ); the Polynesian word literally means "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of '' mana''. Today, it is also used for ...

of war who manifests as a rainbow. The

taonga ''Taonga'' or ''taoka'' (in South Island Māori) is a Maori-language word that refers to a treasured possession in Māori culture. It lacks a direct translation into English, making its use in the Treaty of Waitangi significant. The current d ...

is of extreme significance both to the local

Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato. There are ...

people and also for its archaeological value. It is 2.7 metres in height and consists of a simple upright post, the top of which has been carved into a spiral form. From the top of this spiral emerge four waving verticals, reminiscent of the teeth of a comb. The form, though seemingly simple, often causes a powerful reaction in viewers of the artifact. In appearance the carving is very striking and different from the style of carving seen in the later Classic period. Because of the carving's spiritual and cultural significance, photographs are prohibited without the permission of the Māori sovereign. One must seek further written permission to publish the photos anywhere, which is more likely to be granted if the sovereign deems it to be for the nation's interest. Similarly, while the form of ''Te Uenuku'' is a popular motif for New Zealand artists, they must still exercise care in its use because of its sacred significance. It is used in stylised form as the logo of the Māori Broadcasting Agency

Te Māngai Pāho Te Māngai Pāho (the Māori Broadcast Funding Agency) is the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for the promotion of the Māori language and Māori culture by providing funding for Māori-language programming on radio and television. In 198 ...

History

The carving is unique in form, and bears a noted resemblance to Hawaiian carving styles. Tainui tradition would suggest that it dates from circa 1400 CE, an era known to New Zealand

ethnologist Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology) ...

s as Te Tipunga or Archaic period. Tradition goes on to say that the spirit now inhabiting the carving originated from

Hawaiki In Polynesian mythology, (also rendered as in Cook Islands Māori, in Samoan, in Tahitian, in Hawaiian) is the original home of the Polynesians, before dispersal across Polynesia. It also features as the underworld in many Māori stories. ...

, brought over on the Tainui canoe inside a stone, which was later placed inside the spiral at the top of the carving. Recent work by the museum has shown that it is made from

totara ''Podocarpus totara'' (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane a ...

, a common native New Zealand hard wood. According to Māori verbal history, around the year 1807 the

Waipa District Waipa District is a municipality in the Waikato region of New Zealand that is administered by the Waipa District Council. Its most populous town is Cambridge. The seat of the council is at the second most populous town, Te Awamutu. The district i ...

of the

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...

was invaded by a strong force led by

Ngāti Toa Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori '' iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and in the northern South Island of New Zealand. Its '' rohe'' (tribal area) extends from Whanganui in the north, Palmerston ...

chief Pikauterangi. In the Battle of Hingakākā between Tainui and

Ngāti Maniapoto Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi (tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Tainui confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa (genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on th ...

warriors close to Lake Ngaroto, the sacred carving of ''Te Uenuku'' was lost.Museum website
The carving was found buried close to the lake's shore in 1906 when a farmer was draining swampland, and spent some time in the R.W. Bourne collection before being acquired by the Te Awamutu Museum. The work was the centrepiece of the '' Te Maori'' exhibition which toured North America and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Te Uenuku was on loan to Te Papa museum in Wellington till September 2011 then returned to its usual resting place at a refurbished display in the Te Awamutu Museum in New Zealand.

References

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External links

An image of ''Te Uenuku''

Te Māngai Pāho

an

show two examples of artwork using ''Te Uenuku'' as their inspiration

at

NZETC The New Zealand Electronic Text Collection (NZETC; mi, Te Pūhikotuhi o Aotearoa) is a freely accessible online archive of New Zealand and Pacific Islands texts and heritage materials that are held by the Victoria University of Wellington Library ...

shows an early image of ''Te Uenuku''
Te Awamutu Museum
site of Te Uenuku's current location and refurbishment Māori culture Sculptures in New Zealand Waikato Te Awamutu Māori art