This whalebone tokotoko (ceremonial walking stick) was carved for the Eastern Māori MP Wiremu (Wī) Pere by the great East Coast carver Raharuhi Rukupō. It was presented to Pere at the time of his 1897 trip to England to request financial support for the Māori people from Queen Victoria. Pere was first elected to parliament in 1884, lost the following election to James Carroll, and was re-elected in 1893. He became a member of the Legislative Council in 1907.
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Tairawhiti Museum, Te Whare Taonga O Te Tairawhiti
Permission of Tairawhiti Museum, PO Box 716, Gisborne, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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