item details
NameTurou a Tara'are (Greetings of Tara'are)
ProductionTapaeru Tara'are Skinnon; 2000; Wellington
Classificationtextiles, ceremonial objects, sewing
Materialscloth, cotton
DimensionsOverall: 2610mm (width), 2610mm (length)
Registration NumberFE011606
Credit linePurchased 2001 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds
Overview
The Cook Islands chief gazing out at you from this tīvaevae manu (appliqué quilt) is Tara‘are Mata‘iapo Tutara. In 1899, when New Zealand’s governor, Lord Ranfurly, made an historic visit to the Cooks, chief Tara‘are Mata‘iapo greeted him with a pe‘e (welcoming chant), which included the words:
Turou, turou, turou!
Titiro ō mata ki te maunga ‘Ikurangi, tei reira nga tumu kape, ‘e nga moko-tī.
Greetings, greetings, greetings!
Look to the mountain ‘Ikurangi, where the kape and tī plants grow.
When chief Tara‘are Mata‘iapo’s great-grand niece Tapaeru Tara‘are-Skinnon made this quilt, she included the yellow tī (cordyline), green kape (giant taro), and mountain mentioned in the chant.