Maori Wood Carving
Maori Wood Carving | | | | |
Maori Wood Carving
Introduction
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The art of woodcarving was brought to New Zealand by the relatives of the present Maori, who probably came to the islands around 1100 A.D (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002). Early Maori Wood Carving shows stylistic similarities with wood examples from eastern Polynesia, where the ancestors of the Maori came from (New Zealand's Premier Woodcarving site, n.d.). Examples of early Maori wood carvings are uncommon, however a number of them have survived due to the hiding of important carvings by immersing them in swamps during times of unrest. The soaking environment has consequently managed to conserve the wood of the carvings (New Zealand's Premier Woodcarving site, n.d.).
Wood Carving Style and Tradition
As the generations passed, a uniquely Maori carving style steadily began to appear, turning into what is known as the classic Maori style around 1500. Some carvings are over 500 years old. Unlike its simpler ornamented forerunner, typically for the classic Maori woodcarving is the keen rendered three-dimensional form which surface is engraved with intricate designs (The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, 2002).
According to one of the Maori tradition, the art in woodcarving was introduced to their ancestors by the cultural hero Ruatepupuke. In this story, Ruatepupuke's son Manuruhi offended Tangaroa, the sea god. As punishment, Tangaroa abducted Manuruhi, by transforming him into a woodcarving to decorate the gable of his residence at the bottom of the sea. Ruatepupuke went down to the sea, to search for his son, where he heard the carved ancestor posts of Tangaroa's house talking to each other. The posts revealed him where to find Manuruhi. Angered by the opression of his son, Ruatepupuke put fire into Tangaroa's house. He returned then to the world at the surface, bringing several carved posts and Manuruhi with him, and introduced the art of woodcarving to human race. The
Maori Wood Carving
Introduction
|
The art of woodcarving was brought to New Zealand by the relatives of the present Maori, who probably came to the islands around 1100 A.D (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002). Early Maori Wood Carving shows stylistic similarities with wood examples from eastern Polynesia, where the ancestors of the Maori came from (New Zealand's Premier Woodcarving site, n.d.). Examples of early Maori wood carvings are uncommon, however a number of them have survived due to the hiding of important carvings by immersing them in swamps during times of unrest. The soaking environment has consequently managed to conserve the wood of the carvings (New Zealand's Premier Woodcarving site, n.d.).
Wood Carving Style and Tradition
As the generations passed, a uniquely Maori carving style steadily began to appear, turning into what is known as the classic Maori style around 1500. Some carvings are over 500 years old. Unlike its simpler ornamented forerunner, typically for the classic Maori woodcarving is the keen rendered three-dimensional form which surface is engraved with intricate designs (The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, 2002).
According to one of the Maori tradition, the art in woodcarving was introduced to their ancestors by the cultural hero Ruatepupuke. In this story, Ruatepupuke's son Manuruhi offended Tangaroa, the sea god. As punishment, Tangaroa abducted Manuruhi, by transforming him into a woodcarving to decorate the gable of his residence at the bottom of the sea. Ruatepupuke went down to the sea, to search for his son, where he heard the carved ancestor posts of Tangaroa's house talking to each other. The posts revealed him where to find Manuruhi. Angered by the opression of his son, Ruatepupuke put fire into Tangaroa's house. He returned then to the world at the surface, bringing several carved posts and Manuruhi with him, and introduced the art of woodcarving to human race. The