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Story: Ngā manu – birds

‘Mungakahu and his wife, Ko Mari’

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‘Mungakahu and his wife, Ko Mari’

This portrait by George French Angas, done in the 1840s, shows a chief of Motupoi , by Lake Rotoaira in the central North Island. His weapon is adorned with feathers, and his wife appears to be wearing a pōhoi toroa (albatross-feather earring).

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PUBL-0014-27

by George French Angas

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Kelly Keane, Ngā manu – birds – Symbols of status, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/12143/mungakahu-and-his-wife-ko-mari (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Kelly Keane, published 1 March 2009, updated 17 February 2015.