Story: Māori creation traditions

Like all traditional Māori meeting houses, Te Tumu Herenga Waka at Victoria University of Wellington contains the central images of creation. The roof represents Ranginui (the sky) and the floor Papatūānuku (the earth). The supporting posts represent those used by the god Tāne to separate earth and sky during the creation of the world. The act of entering the house is interpreted as symbolically drawing close to the ancestors.

Retelling stories through carving

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Exterior of a meeting house

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