Gable Figure
Item number C985 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.
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- Data
- Data Source
This information was automatically generated from data provided by MOA: University of British Columbia. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.
Description
Stylized full length wooden human figure with the hands resting on the chest. The head is long and oval with closed eyes slanted diagonally downward toward the flat rectangular nose which tapers to a point and an upward curved open mouth. There is a neck, squared shoulders, arms bent at the elbows, a long rounded belly, rounded hindquarters, short stubby legs, and feet.
History Of Use
Tekoteko’s, or gable figures, are ancestral guardians. They are positioned at the top of the gable on Maori ancestral-chiefly houses. This one would have carried an important ancestral name, and people would have acknowledged his presence at meetings (hui) on the house’s forecourt (marae). Even after removal from their ancestral homes, teketeko’s retain a powerful agency (ihi- presence, wehi- awe and wana- authority).
Item History
- Made in New Zealand between 1860 and 1890
- Owned by Ralph C. Altman before February 1952
- Received from Ralph C. Altman (Exchanger) during February 1952
What
- Name
- Gable Figure
- Identification Number
- C985
- Type of Item
- figure
- Material
- totara wood
- Manufacturing Technique
- carved
- Overall
- height 59.0 cm, width 15.0 cm, depth 11.3 cm
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- New Zealand
Who
- Culture
- Maori
- Previous Owner
- Ralph C. Altman
- Received from
- Ralph C. Altman (Exchanger)
When
- Creation Date
- between 1860 and 1890
- Ownership Date
- before February 1952
- Acquisition Date
- during February 1952
Other
- Condition
- fair
- Current Location
- Case 56
- Accession Number
- 2201/0001
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