I hope this wooden carving of a Māori totem has not scared you away from this post. I believe these symbolic carvings are placed on totems at the entrance to the Māori Pa (meeting-house) to frighten off evil spirits.
Māori Wood Carving
As Māori did not have a written language until the 19th century, carvings were used to record and preserve the history and culture of our people. Ornate Māori carvings can be found on meeting houses, canoes, weapons and jewellery – with superior carvings seen as a sign of prestige.
Māori carvings are a record of tribal affairs and pay deep respect to ancestors, history and the people for whom they are prepared – although they cannot be read or interpreted in a Western sense.
In 2 weeks time I will be back in New Zealand and hope to see more of the Māori culture.
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This carving was fascinating and as you looked you would see more and more details.
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Lovely theme this week Ailsa. Click here to take a look at other posts.
That is a wonderful art. Good shoots.
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Thank you for the comment, it is good to hear from you
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That is an amazing work of art, Pommepal. The intricate carvings are so beautiful too. Loved all your pics, but the last one is my favourite. 🙂
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Thanks Ad wood is a great subject
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Maori art is amazing! Thanks for sharing 😀
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I love the Maori culture Dianne and I am looking forward to visiting Rotorua when we are in NZ
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Another wonderful take on this theme.
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Thanks Dawn
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Such a great collection PP . I do love those details in the mural .. tiny flower petals am sure it was very therapeutic to produce this sort of craft .
Jack looks a very attentive pupil … wonder if it was always the case 😉
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That was an amazing carving. Did you enlarge it and look at the detail? Well I think you have guessed it Poppy about Jack, he actually started school when he was 6 and left when he was 13 !!!! All self taught from then.
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The frogs are so cute!
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Yes they are, there is so much to look at on the panel
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Stunning works of art. I had no idea. Thanks for sharing bits of your travels!
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G’day Kami, I love having these themes that gives me a reason to search through all the photos and reminisce about my travels
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Love that Maori carving! I love wood, and have a number of small bowls and carved items from my travels.
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I like to bring back wood items as souvenirs of travel too Sue
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Wood is very tactile, don’t you think?
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Yes I agree. In 1987 I went to India and bought a small carved sandalwood camel to remind me of my 4 day camel trek, and I can still smell the sandalwood scent when I rub my hand over him.
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Fabulous! What a brilliant way to bring back your memories….
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One of the lasting memories I have of Australia are the wonderful carved tables and bowls! I did bring back a small one (bowl that is, not table) 🙂
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That is a lovely memento to have of Australia Jude
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Love this post – love wood, trees and Maori carvings! Looking forward to more of this!
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Thanks, I’m sure there is going to be lots more photo opportunities coming up very soon Leya… 🙂
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I love the natural face on the trunk of the tree, But I just love Wood.. Those benches look to be old… I just love the feel of wood..it still holds the energy of the tree.. I have several pieces of carved wood in my home, As well as a wonderful nest of tables with carved Chinese type themes which have glass then laid over the tops of them…. I love to polish the carved sides as well as a wooden Buddha which stands nearly two foot high on my landing..
I just loved the photo’s and see you are a tree hugger too LoL .. though we do not have many here with that girth .. None that we can get too close too. We do have an old oak over 1,000 yrs old in Sherwood Forest only a 15 minute drive away called The Major Oak .. You can find its picture on Google images. 🙂
Wishing you a relaxing Sunday … or maybe its already Monday now.. 😉
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I loved this weeks theme Sue, I have so many tree and wood photos it was hard to decide which ones to use. I checked the Major oak on Google, wow it is a magnificent tree. Yes Monday morning now… 🙂
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Nice carving. . i see mostly without any colour or polish. Very natural. I love the one on the ‘ different type of wood carving’
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G’day, thank you for calling by and leaving a comment. I love the patterns on the carving
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