| Brief Description |
Elaborately carved taurapa (canoe stern post) would have once stood vertically at the stern of a waka taua (war canoe); wood; painted - red undercoat and black-brown top coat. From the upper Whanganui River. Originally presented to John Nixon by chiefs of the river, the taurapa was purchased from the Nixon family for the Museum by public subscription.
The taurapa carvings represent the story of Tāne (god of forests and birds) ascending the twelve heavens to obtain the three baskets of knowledge - kete tuauri (basket of peace, goodness, and love), kete tūātea (basket of prayer, incantations, and ritual), and kete aronui (basket of war, agriculture, wood, stone, and earth work) - in order to learn the secrets of life. On the way, his elder brother Whiro (evil) tries, unsuccessfully, to disrupt Tāne's journey. The most prevalent image on the taurapa is the manaia, or avian-like creature seen grappling with the two vertical rib forms representing the creative principles of life. The manaia is biting down on the tops of the two ribs, which represent ira-atua (the gods) and ira-tangata (humankind). The manaia is therefore symbollically battling the opposing notions of war and peace. The surrounding spiral system is called pitau meaning perforated spiral carving. (https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/155669#:~:text=The%20taurapa%20carvings%20represent%20the,agriculture%2C%20wood%2C%20stone%2C%20and)
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