As Princess Piki is appointed the first Māori queen in 1966, the solemnity of the occasion is evident on her face. She is about to experience the whakawahinga ceremony, in which a bible is held over her head while traditional expressions are recited. The same ceremony, using the same bible, has taken place since the anointing of the first Māori king in 1859. She became known as Te Atairangikaahu, after her mother, at the time of her accession.
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