Symbolism in the Takipu House

Te Ao Hou, September 1959, Page 49

Paramount Chief Hepi Te Heuheu greets the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Walter Nash, and the Hon E. T. Tirikatene at the opening of Tapeka Meeting House, Waihi, last April. Since Tapeka was carved last year, Maori carving has been at a complete standstill. (Photo: 20th Century Photography, Taumarunui). this change happening when the Flemish masters introduced, in one corner of a Nativity scene, a cow nonchalantly chewing hay, quite indifferent to the central event. This was the beginning of realism: the Divine Birth was placed in the setting of a barn in Flanders such as people saw every day. However, woodcarving does not lend itself easily to such a development; it is not surprising that the carver, by and large, still works with the traditional simple picture stories which often demand very great skill. For instance, the representation of Hine Amaru giving birth to a child from the armpits would be a challenge to any sculptor, particularly in the circumscribed space, and style, demanded in a Maori meeting house. Symbolism in the Takipu House Many times the carver must represent an ancestor who has never before (to his knowledge) been put into a carved house. He then has to study all the stories that are still known about the ancestor and make a carving from these stories. He has to picture the man from the stories he has heard and then present in wood, not only the man, but also his most famous acts. For instance, when John Taiapa did the Takipu house which was opened last year, he had to present the ancestor Taharakau who is still famous for his proverbial sayings. On the finished carving, Taharakau is shown wearing a rain cape; in the background there is a cabbage tree. Most people who saw the carving recognized the rain cape, for there is a famous story about Taharakau going to visit the chief Tapuwai in Wairoa. On the trip, his slave wore fine cloaks but Taharakau merely wore a rain cape. When the slave asked him why, he replied ‘E tata a runga, e roa a raro’ meaning that the journey was far but the sky right overhead. The Maori is very neatly expressed and became a well known proverb. Although everyone understood this part of the carving, quite a few visitors to Takipu did not know the significance of the cabbage tree. John Taiapa was referring to another of Taharakau's proverbs, ‘Ahi kouka i te ata, he ai i te po’. Between the two proverbs, we get an appealing picture of old Taharakau who was careful not to be overtaken by sudden rain, and who liked lying under a cabbage tree during the day, but keeping warm with his wife at night. In this way his memory is being admirably preserved in the tribal meeting house. Another striking picture at Takipu is Wairaka who was the only woman on board the Mataatua canoe. When the canoe landed, all the men jumped out and rushed off to claim areas of land, so the story goes. The canoe drifted back to sea, so Wairaka called out to the men to pull it ashore. However, the men took no notice. Wairaka then said “Ki a whakatane au” (I make myself a man) and got the canoe back herself. This is the supposed origin of the name of the town Whakatane. John Taiapa presented Wairaka with a tiki and the usual formal design for female breasts, holding a midget canoe in her hand. Finding a fitting way of picturing the stories is the main task of the Maori carver and this can be done satisfyingly only by a dedicated artist.

While Sir Apirana Ngata was alive, he used to help the carvers by tracing the genealogy of the tribe whose house was being decorated and discussing the tribal history; since Sir Apirana has passed to the beyond, John Taiapa took this task over himself.