Hine of the Lake

Ko *Hine of the Lake*, 1976, 2005 he tauira ātanga o te tārai a Arnold Manaaki Wilson. Ko te tāraitanga tū noa he momo hokinga ki ōna whenua tupuna, ki Te Urewera. Ko tā tēnei toi he whakaatu i te kaitiaki o Te Waikaremoana, ka mutu he mihi tēnei ki te manawaroa, ki te kiriūka o te wahine. Ko te āhua o te māhunga he manaia, ko tōna waha huaki he whakaatu i te kōrerorero – koinei ngā ariā e kitea ai i roto i te whakairo tuku iho. Ka heke iho ki te tohu puare o waenganui e whakaatu ai i te āhuatanga o Barbara Hepworth i te koru Māori i runga ake i ngā waewae. I konei kei te whakamātautau te ringa toi i te whānuitanga o ngā ariā me ngā hāngaitanga ahurea, ko te hira o te rangatiratanga o te wahine me te whakapapa.

*Hine of the Lake*, 1976, 2005 is a stunning example of Arnold Manaaki Wilson’s sculptural practice. The free-standing figure is inspired by his ancestral homeland of Te Urewera. The work presents as a personal totem or kaitiaki (guardian) of Lake Waikaremoana and pays tribute to the fortitude and strength of women. The head echoes the profile of a manaia (intermediary being) with the open mouth suggesting the activation of kōrerorero (discussion) – concepts found in customary Māori carving. This trails down to a central void motif, showing the influence of artist Barbara Hepworth, with a distinctive Māori koru (unfurling fern frond) motif presented above the legs. Here, the artist freely experiments with a range of cultural ideas and associations, yet the importance of female leadership and lineage reigns.

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