Artwork Overview
Te Rangi Pikinga was a chiefly rangatira, captured by Te Rangihaeata at Turakina c1819. During peace negotiations, Rangihaeata married Te Pikinga as a way of creating a chiefly bond between Ngāti Apa and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. Pikinga, then, was sister in law to Rangi Topeora, and their two portraits demonstrate remarkable similarities between the two highly influential women of mana. Both took the title Kuiniora or Queen and both wear more than one hei tiki, a sign of their mana. In this portrait, the hei tiki on the right bears an amazing similarity to the largest hei tiki in Topeora’s portrait.