Tukutuku panelling is a distinctive art form of the
Māori people
Māori () are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of Māori migration canoes, c ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, a traditional latticework used to decorate
meeting houses (wharenui). Other names are Tuitui and Arapaki. Tukutuku flank the posts around the edge of the wharenui; the posts are usually carved and represent ancestors.
The patterns of tukutuku have symbolic meanings.
Tukutuku are made with various materials. One description is vertical rods of
toetoe stalks, with wooden slats across. These slats are held in place with knotting or weaving that forms a decorative pattern. The materials for this weaving are narrow strips of
kiekie or
harakeke, some died black and the coastal plant
pingao as yellow colour.
The traditional skills of tukutuku are held mostly within the Māori women weaving community alongside other
Māori traditional weaving techniques as the skills of
whakaīro (carving) are mostly held within the Māori men carving community. Tukutuku for a wharenui are designed alongside the
tohunga whakairo (master carver) as they have in mind the relationship to the other elements of the carvings and
kōwhaiwhai to complement each other.
A wide range of named patterns have developed, and these now are used in a wide variety of modern contexts and act as a form of inspiration to New Zealand creative artists. Some of the names of tukutuku patterns are:
*poutama – a stepped pattern, said to represent
whakapapa
Genealogy is a fundamental principle in Māori culture, termed specifically in this context as ''whakapapa'' (, , lit. 'layering'). Reciting one's '' whakapapa'' proclaims one's identity among the Māori, places oneself in a wider context, and ...
, learning and the ascent of the god
Tāne-o-te-wānanga into the heavens to attain superior knowledge and religion.
*roimata toroa – meaning "albatross tears", formed with vertical stitches and said to represent misfortune and disaster.
*kaokao – horizontal or vertical zigzag lines, said to represent the sides and arms of warriors in
haka
Haka (, ; singular ''haka'', in both Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English) are a variety of ceremonial dances in Māori culture. A performance art, hakas are often performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the f ...
.
*purapura whetū – meaning "star seeds", also known as ("herring's eyes") and ("to cross"), is a simple cross-stitch pattern representing the stars and great numbers of people.
Distinctive tukutuku can be seen in the Hotunui meeting house that is being looked after by the
Auckland Museum. These panels were made by women of
Ngāti Maru at Parawai when the house was originally built in 1878. They are said to be the oldest and most complete tukutuku and have many motifs with a range of very complex patterns to simplicity.
References
Examples
* http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/te-ao-marama-the-natural-world/2/2/1
* http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Heritage/Photos/Libraries/Central/TukutukuPanels/panel-04.asp
Māori art
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