Toi Māori - Art of Aotearoa
‘Toi’ is the Māori word for art. Māori toi is highly spiritual and ancestral and takes inspiration from many of the patterns found in nature. Physical forms of toi were preferred and predominantly took the form of carving, tattooing, weaving, and painting using wood, bone, stone and flax. Three colours are commonly used in traditional toi; Whero (red) – representing warmth, blood and life, Mā (white) – representing purity, promise for the future or awakening, and Mangu (black) which represents the Earth.
The earliest forms of surviving Māori toi are charcoal drawings that date as far back as 800 years ago in South Island’s limestone rock shelters. They portray animals, people, and nature. With no written language, Māori passed on knowledge orally through story, waiata (song) and whakapapa (genealogy) and preserved knowledge through their toi. Many of these objects became taonga (sacred objects or treasures) and were handed down through generations of tribal elders.
Māori toi thrived in Aotearoa from around 1300 until the arrival of Europeans, who imposed significant cultural changes on them and their beliefs. In recent decades, Māori toi has once again had a strong resurgence with a growing awareness of Māori cultural values and customs. Contemporary Māori toi not only draws from these traditions but also includes modern elements from the world in which they live.
Whakairo – carving
Carver’s used adzes and chisels that were traditionally made from stone or pounamu(greenstone) in various shapes and sizes. The other essential tool was a mallet, with a head made from wood or whalebone. The adze was used like an axe for roughing out the basic shapes and the short-handled chisels were then used to carve the fine details. Each carving carried a special significance which was passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.
Tā Moko - tattooing
Tā moko is done with uhi (chisels) which carve deep lines into the body. While Māori men traditionally receive Tā moko on several body parts including faces, buttocks, and thighs, the women traditionally receive moko kauae on their lips and chin. It can also be applied to the forehead, neck, back, stomach and calves. Tā moko reflects an individual's whakapapa (ancestry) and personal history.
Raranga - weaving
Weaving, traditionally done by Māori women, was both a functional activity and an art form. Harakeke (New Zealand native flax) was used to weave baskets, containers and mats from the leaves in a similar tradition to other Polynesian people. The Māori then learned that Harakeke could be used to make Muka (strong fibres) by scraping the leaves with a sharp shell that enable them to produce items like ropes, fishing nets and items of clothing. Feathers and threads were used to accentuate items while natural dyes like tree bark and mud were used to achieve the desired colours.
Peitatanga - painting
Painting was not as significant for Māori as other forms of traditional toi. Often it was used for decoration inside wharenui (meeting houses) and haukāinga (homes) using stylised representations of patterns found in nature. The koru, a spiral shape symbolizing new life, growth, strength, and peace is a good example of a pattern used from the unfolding fronds of the native tree ferns. Contemporary Māori painting places a lot more significance on painting after Europeans introduced new techniques and styles for Māori tohunga tā whakaahua (painters) to use.
To open this cache you need to visit the 4 waypoints listed below that relate to an example of Toi and find a number for each of them. Once you have all 4 numbers the cache can be found at the final coordinates:
S38 08.251 E176 15.386
A - Moko - S38 08.177 E176 15.364 - how many faces are carved into this poupou(carved post)? (include the upside down damaged one at the bottom)
B - "Hei oranga mo nga iwi katoa o te Ao" - S38 08.251 E176 15.399 - number of letters in the fourth word on the last line of the plaque?
C - Whakairo - S38 08.271 E176 15.430 - on the back of the poupou(carved post) that has the figure with the open mouth there is a small council plaque with 2 numbers on it. Add these numbers together.
D - Peitatanga - S38 08.261 E176 15.363 - how many claws can you see on the feet on the winged creature?
Check sum for the lock code = 20
Tēnei te mihi nui ki (many thanks to) The Arts Village in Rotorua for permission to place this cache.
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