People make art by carving.
They use wood, stone, or bone. They carve shapes of family members. This art shows who they are. It is very special.
Do you like to make art?
Māori people make art by carving.
They use wood, stone, or bone. They can carve big canoes. They can also carve small tools.
Carvers use hard greenstone for tools. They use red clay to paint designs. This makes the art look bright.
The art shows family ancestors. It helps people know their group. This art is very important.
Many people still learn to carve today. It is a special skill to share.
Whakairo is a traditional Māori art. It is the art of carving.
Artists carve wood, stone, or bone. They make many things. They carve large waka, or canoes. They also make fence poles called pouwhenua. They make tools and containers.
Carvers use special tools. They used hard greenstone, or pounamu, for tools. They also used bone for needles. Many carvings show tribal ancestors. This helps people show their group identity. Some carvings are painted. Long ago, they used red ochre and shark oil. This paint was thought to be tapu, which means sacred.
In the past, some carvings became less common. This happened when new items arrived from Europe. But the art did not go away. Carvers began to focus on buildings and churches. In 1926, a school for Māori arts opened. It is in Whakarewarewa. This school helps keep carving skills strong. Today, many people still practice whakairo. It is a vital part of Māori culture.
Whakairo is a traditional Māori art of carving.
Artists use wood, stone, or bone to create beautiful works. These carvings are much more than just decoration. They often show tribal ancestors in their designs. This helps people show their iwi and hapu identity. These terms refer to their specific groups or tribes. Carving is a way to honor history and family. It remains a very important part of Māori culture today.
Carvers follow careful steps to make their art. They use different materials for different jobs. For example, they might carve a waka, or canoe. They also make pouwhenua, which are carved fence poles. In the past, carvers used pounamu, a very hard greenstone. They used these stone tools to shape the wood. They also used bone for making needles and fish hooks.
Some carvings are even painted with bright colors.
Long ago, carvers used a special kind of paint. They mixed kōkōwai, which is red ochre, with shark-liver oil. This mixture helped preserve the wood. It also gave the carvings a tapu status. Tapu means the objects are considered sacred. When metal tools arrived, carvers could add even more detail. This led to a big increase in decorative patterns. These patterns appear on both wood and bone carvings.
The history of whakairo has seen many changes. In the 1840s, many people began using Western items instead. For example, waka huia treasure containers were replaced by seaman's chests. In the 1860s, large waka taua war canoes were replaced by whaleboats. During this time, carvers focused on churches and meeting houses. In 1926, Sir Āpirana Ngata opened a school in Whakarewarewa. This school helped keep traditional carving skills alive.
Today, the art of whakairo is seeing a big resurgence. This movement is part of the Māori Renaissance from the 1960s. Many carvers now express their work in spiritual ways. They also create contemporary art for the modern world. You can find many carvings in museums like Te Papa. Some of these collections are even available online. The Māori Art Market also helps people buy and sell these works. It is a wonderful way to share this living tradition.
Whakairo, also known as toi whakairo, is a traditional Māori art form involving carving.
Artists practice this craft using wood, stone, or bone. These carvings serve more than just an aesthetic purpose. They often depict tribal ancestors through specific designs. These patterns help establish the identity of an iwi or hapu. An iwi is a large tribe, while a hapu is a smaller sub-tribe. Through whakairo, people connect their physical objects to their ancestral lineage.
The process of creating whakairo depends heavily on the chosen material. Wood is a common medium used for many different purposes. Carvers shape timber into houses, fence poles known as pouwhenua, or containers. They also craft tool handles and waka, which are canoes. For carving tools, Māori traditionally used very hard stone. Pounamu, or greenstone, was the preferred material for these implements. Bone was also utilized to create functional items like fish hooks and needles.
Decoration is a vital part of the carving process. Many wooden carvings are painted to highlight specific features. Before modern paints became available, carvers used a traditional mixture. They combined kōkōwai, which is red ochre, with shark-liver oil. This mixture served two important functions. First, it helped to preserve the carvings. Second, it imbued the objects with a tapu status. Tapu means the items are considered sacred. The introduction of metal tools later allowed for much more decorative ornamentation. This change led to more complex patterns in both wood and bone carving.
The history of whakairo has shifted alongside changes in Māori society. During the 1840s, many traditional items were replaced by Western counterparts. For example, waka huia treasure containers were often swapped for lockable seaman's chests. In the 1860s, the production of waka taua, or war canoes, declined. These large vessels were superseded by whaleboats and European-style sailing ships. During this period of transition, carvers shifted their focus. They began concentrating on carved marae, which are meeting places. They also focused on tokotoko, or carved walking sticks, and aspects of church buildings.
By the late 1800s, carving traditions were centered around communal schools. These schools were located in areas like Rotorua, Te Urewera, and the Whanganui River. The Te Arawa people were particularly successful during a tourism boom in the 1870s. They produced carvings for a model village at Whakarewarewa and for souvenirs. A major turning point occurred in 1926 when Sir Āpirana Ngata opened the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute.
This institute in Whakarewarewa became a stronghold for traditional skills. Ngata believed that these arts were a vital part of rejuvenating Māori culture. Notable leaders like Hōne Taiapa helped head these educational efforts.
Since the Māori Renaissance of the 1960s, whakairo has experienced a major resurgence. This movement has expanded the art into the realm of contemporary art. Many modern carvers also express their work through explicitly spiritual terms. Today, the Māori Art Market helps promote and sell these works. This market is funded by the state-sponsored organization Toi Māori Aotearoa. This ensures that the craft remains a significant part of the modern economy and culture.
Many famous carvers have shaped the history of this art form. Notable names include Raharuhi Rukupo, who died in 1873, and Wero Tāroi, who lived from approximately 1810 to 1880. Other significant artists include Hone Taiapa, Piri Poutapu, and Pakariki Harrison. You can find many important collections of whakairo in major institutions. Te Papa and the Auckland Art Gallery hold substantial holdings of these works. Te Papa has even digitized many of its carvings for people to view online. This allows the history and skill of whakairo to be shared globally.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (3)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.