Story: Tūranga i te hapori – status in Māori society

Pātara Te Ngūngūkai

Pātara Te Ngūngūkai

Pātara Te Ngūngūkai was a renowned Te Arawa tohunga, deemed extremely tapu because he was responsible for scraping down human bones following exhumation, to prepare them for reburial. He has a traditional facial moko (tattoo), wears a woven cloak and holds a taiaha (a wooden weapon).

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: 1/2-094045-F

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:

Basil Keane, 'Tūranga i te hapori – status in Māori society - Class, status and rank', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/31108/patara-te-ngungukai (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Basil Keane, published 5 May 2011