Pou tokomanawa 'Ihutapu' (carved centre post)

item details

NamePou tokomanawa 'Ihutapu' (carved centre post)

ProductionUnknown; carver; 1800-1850; North Island

ClassificationPoutokomanawa, posts, carvings

Materialswood, paint

Techniqueswoodcarving

DimensionsOverall: 350mm (width), 1490mm (height), 250mm (depth), 250mm (diameter)

Registration NumberME010958

Credit lineHenry Hill Collection. Purchased 1905

Overview

This is a superbly carved male pou-tokomanawa (central pillar) named Ko Ihutapu. Ihutapu has a strong well-formed body, and is holding a toki poutangata (a symbol of his chieftainship and authority). His name is carved across his chest. Ihutapu has the rape spiral pattern tattooed on his buttocks, and a very well executed full facial moko (tattoo). He is clearly a revered ancestor and a man of rank.

Collection origin
Ihutapu was collected by educationalist Henry Hill (1849-1933), who lived in Napier. Hill's collection of Māori artefacts was purchased by Augustus Hamilton (1853-1913), Director of the Colonial (later Dominion) Museum from 1903 until his death in 1913, on behalf of the New Zealand government for £500 in 1905.

Pou-tokomanawa
A pou-tokomanawa is the first of three upright posts that support the tāhuhu (ridge pole) of a large whare tupuna (ancestral house) or whare runanga (tribal council house), providing structural stability and supporting the roof. Pou-tokomanawa usually have a carved representation of a significant tupuna (ancestor) of the tribe at their base, facing the entrance to the house. Most pou-tokomanawa in museum collections today appear as free-standing carved figures because they have been sawn-off from the main pole by collectors.