Many of these symbols and motifs are also reflected in Kōwhaiwhai; the stylised and

decorative painted patterns you see expressed and realised in the carved houses in

concert with toi whakairo, in turn adding their narrative and symbolism to the ever

unfolding of story.

Wood, stone, bone, ivory, shell and human skin were the mediums of carving. You’ll see

the symbols ,motifs and traditional design elements associated with whakairo to a greater

or lesser degree expressed across the full spectrum of human activity and engagement.

Carving adorns houses of mana, implements, structures and buildings of importance,

Pātaka, Pouwhenua, weapons of war, gateways and door lintels, places of transition. But

also, combs and fish hooks and calabashes and digging sticks for the gardens have motifs

and highlights of adornment and decoration. With Pounamu; when added to the

emblematic power of the toki, the matau, the pikorua and koru for example; the mana,

tikanga and traditions that emanate from toi whakairo only add to the enigmatic and

aesthetic qualities present within the stone and its rendered form.

Waka taua, the war canoe, and the Wharenui or Whare Whakairo will reveal the highest

expressions of Toi Wakairo elaborating both the skills of tohunga whakairo, the carvers and

the stories, traditions and ancestries associated with the people of the house and the

waka. Also the faces and bodies of men and women of immense mana and importance,

they too will be incised in spiral and other curvilinear motifs, as well as particular designs

drawn from the waters, the forests and even the stars invoking lineage, leadership, life

achievements and loss. Themes of vitality, energy and defiance resolve to invocations of

health and well being, fertility, growth and renewal. References to the natural world and all

its resources abound, reminding the people of the value and importance of proper and

respectful engagement with the environment around us, our provider.

The constant is the human aspect in shape and spirit, so defining the fundamental design

element within Toi Whakairo; the human body. The human form. Manaia, Tiki and

Tekoteko. The representation of tūpuna - the ancestors that we see in the poupou of the

wonderful carved houses on Mārae. Whereon the various tools and components, the

symbols, motifs of Māori design have been brought to bear, to elaborate, adorn, decorate

and inform the people, offer comfort and opportunities to grieve, reflect, and remember. It

should be noted here that this human aspect also brings with it a mauri, an existential

essence, a life force felt by the people related by whakapapa to these works of great mana

and immutable presence.

Ben Brown. October 2022