Overview
In the 1850s, an ornate form of kumete (presentation bowl) emerged in New Zealand – the figure-supported bowl. It was designed to appeal to the growing European market. Other carved forms became similarly ornate: weaponry, model canoes, paddles, pipes.
This was a transitional period in Māori art. Customary practices fused with new motifs, naturalistic figures among them. The Te Arawa tribes of Rotorua excelled at creating such hybrid art, as they continue to today.
This particular kumete was presented to the son of Te Rauparaha, famous warrior chief of the Ngāti Toa Rangatira tribe. Te Rauparaha composed the haka (dance with chant) ‘Ka mate, ka mate’, which the All Blacks perform before their rugby games today.