The flax bush features in a saying about the sanctity of human life, where a human is likened to the central shoot of the bush:
Unuhia te rito o te harakeke, kei hea te kōmako e
kō?
Ui mai ki ahau, ‘He aha te mea nui o te Ao?’
Māku e kī atu,
‘He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.’
If you remove the central shoot of the flaxbush, where
will the bellbird find rest?
If you were to ask me, ‘What is the most important thing
in the world?’
I would reply,
‘It is people, it is people, it is people.’
The flax also represents the world of families within families.
Using this item
Department of Conservation
Reference:
10054029
Photograph by Philippe Gerbeaux
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