B4 Travel Blog #2

---

Question: What are popular forms of art in New Zealand? What does these arts represent or symbolic?



Maori carving is one of popular forms of art in New Zealand. Maori carvings are like big version of wooden pegs. Maori carvings mostly do not have meaning, but they are mostly for the decoration. They did not represent idols or any other religious figures. However, it was a symbol of their ancestor. Maori carvings were named after their important ancester to honor the ancestor of their tribes. The traditional patterns were often inspired by the natural environment. Examples would be spider webs, fish scales, and unfurling fronds of the fern. There are curved figure of animals and human. Usually, the figures of human's skins are tattooed. There are some symbolism of Maori storehouses that represent parents of all living things, Rangi and Papa in the storehouses. They are the sky father and the earth mother. The carved wood isn't only Maori art that represents their culture through carving. There is also the carved figure of lizard out of stone on the tomb built between 1845 and 1856.



New Zealand people, who are descent of Polynesian, believe that women with tattooed lips and chins are more attractive. On the other hand, the males in New Zealand have tattoos of spirals on their faces. This artwork of spirals is known as pitau or takarangi. These sprials don't only decorate faces but also the houses, door lintels, and war canoes. The spirals are carved through the wood to make a good looking artwork. They are carved starting from the center of oval shape or with shape of a letter S. The New Zealand's popular and cultural arts includes the Maori carving, the carving of stone, the tattoo drawing, and the war canoes' spiral designs. They symbolize the honor of their ancestors and belief of their culture and beauty.

---