Artwork Information

Eru Tamaikoha Te Ariari belonged to Te Urewera, the traditional homeland of the Ngai Tūhoe people. Tamaikoha’s home was at Waimana, on the Tauranga River among the lowland forests characterised by kohekohe and kawakawa on the outskirts, and tawa, rimu, matai, miro and kahikatea trees on the valley floor and terraces. He visited Auckland as a defence witness in the case of Regina versus Himiona, a sensational trial involving witchcraft and murder. Perhaps it was then that Lindauer persuaded him to sit for this portrait.