Lyonel Grant

Te Ure o Te Ngarie

Te Ure o Te Ngarie by Lyonel Grant

Artwork Detail

He tohunga whakairo rongonui a Lyonel Grant i runga i ana toi waka taua me ngā wharenui. I te tau 1989 nā Grant tētahi waka taua i whakairo mō tōna iwi, mō Te Arawa; i haria taua waka ki te hui nui i whakanui ai i te hainatanga o Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ko *Te Ure o Te Ngarie*, 1991 he toi i whakairohia nei i te tōtara i toe tonu ai i tēnei waka. Kitea ai te awhi a Tāne Whakapiripiri i roto i te hanganga o te waka me te wharenui, e whakakotahi ai ngā āhuatanga o te taiao. He āhuatanga kanorau ngā tamariki a Tāne – he rākau, he tupu, he manu, he ngāngara, me ngā tangata. He rangatira te tōtara; ko ia tētahi o ngā tamariki tāroa rawa. Kua tapaina te toi nei ki te ingoa o te ngahere i tupu mai ai te tōtara; ko *Te Ure o Te Ngarie* te mea kua whakatangatahia hei uri nō taua ngahere.

Master carver Lyonel Grant is renowned for his carved waka taua (war canoes) and wharenui (meeting houses). In 1989 Grant carved a waka taua for his iwi (tribe) Te Arawa which featured in events for the 150th anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi). *Te Ure o Te Ngarie*, 1991 is carved from tōtara heartwood leftover from this waka. The embrace of Tāne Whakapiripiri (Tāne who draws people together) is expressed and experienced in the structure of both waka and wharenui, which bring together all elements of the taiao (natural environment). The children of Tāne, atua (god) of the forest, are diverse – trees, plants, birds, insects and people. The noble tōtara is one of his tallest children. Named after the forest its timber came from, *Te Ure o Te Ngarie* is personified as a descendant of that forest.

Title
Te Ure o Te Ngarie
Artist/creator
Lyonel Grant
Production date
1991
Medium
totara with paua shell on rimu plinth
Dimensions
1600 x 365 x 170 mm
Credit line
On loan from the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa
Accession no
X2020/44/1
Copyright
Copying restrictions apply
Department
New Zealand Art
Display status
Not on display

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