Artwork information

Pikirākau was a wahine toa (female warrior) who went by many names, including Lucy Takiora Lord, Takiora Grey, Wikitōria Queen of Nukumaru, Mrs Richard Blake and Lucy D’Alton. She earned a reputation as a mercenary, acting as an intermediary between the Crown and Taranaki Māori and as a guide to the British armed forces. A formidable fighter, she killed six warriors and secured their arms in 1865, prompting Governor Grey to pay her to not fight in the Taranaki wars.

Gottfried Lindauer based this portrayal of Pikirākau on a carte-de-visite by an unknown photographer, which shows her holding a raised shotgun in front of mountains and a lake. Ironically, Lindauer has placed a huia and a white raukura feather in her hair, the emblem of peace for followers of the prophet Te Whitio-Rongomai, who founded the village of Parihaka. Parihaka was established as a place of sanctuary and peace for Māori, many of whom were seeking refugee after the territory losses and confiscations of the 1860s wars.

- Nathan Pōhio, Senior Curator Māori Art, 2024