Tairoa Henoa

The interior walls of the whare whakairo (carved meeting house) are adorned with carvings called poupou. Each poupou in a meeting house connects to a common ancestor, after whom the house was named. Spaced evenly along the inside walls, each poupou supported a rafter panel which extended from the main central ridge, reinforcing the importance […]

The tekoteko is a stylised representation of the main progenitor of a tribe and is the most focal point of the whare whakairo (carved tribal meeting house). They can be found – on traditional meeting houses – either at the highest point at the front apex of the roof or at the front central post. […]