Artwork Information

This is a photographic portrait of Ihaka Whaanga, a kaumatua (elder) from Ngati Kahungunu, an iwi (tribe) from the Hawkes Bay region. The image was copied by Gottfried Lindauer for his portrait of the Māori chief held in the Gallery’s collection (1915/2/14).

Ihaka Whaanga was born in 1808 and he died at Mahia in 1875. He is buried at the southern tip of the Mahia peninsula, marked by a memorial stone. Married three times to women from influential families within Ngati Kahungunu, he lived out the saying Te Kupenga a Te Huki or The net of Te Huki which means to maintain unity and peace by marrying within the tribe.