Misplaced Pages

Tekoteko

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Māori-language term for a carved human form

A pātaka with a tekoteko on top
A tekoteko dating from around 1800 held at LACMA

A tekoteko is a Māori carved human figure that is mounted as a finial, usually above the gable of a Māori building, most commonly a wharenui (meeting house) or a pātaka (food storehouse). It usually stands above the koruru, a carved head mounted where the bargeboards meet at the apex of the gable.

The word tekoteko has also been used of freestanding carvings of human figures.

References

  1. "Tekoteko". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  2. "Gable figure (Tekoteko)". www.metmuseum.org. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  3. "Koruru (gable mask)". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  4. "The story behind the tekoteko of Whakarewarewa Village". Whakarewarewa, The Living Māori Village. Whakarewarewa Thermal Village Tours. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2021.


Stub icon

This article related to the Māori people of New Zealand is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: