By BEN TORNQUIST
A new Maori carving made with traditional stone tools is on display at the Auckland Museum.
The 3.8m pou whenua (carved post) represents Ngati Paoa, a Tainui ancestor whose genealogy has spread throughout the country.
For carver John Coromandel, the 15-month project was about getting in touch with the origins of the art form.
Before carving the sculpture, Coromandel had to learn how to make adzes and tools from pounamu, argillite and basalt stones.
He then spent eight months in the museum behind closed doors, chipping the totara log with the tools he had made.
Maori elders recognised the carving's significance and put a tapu (restriction) on the commissioned project while it was in the museum.
Very few people had seen the pou whenua before it was unveiled last Thursday.
Coromandel said the carving project had been "a voyage of discovery."
Not only did he learn how to make and use stone tools, but he also gained a stronger understanding of the art form itself.
He said the carving represented the strength of arts in New Zealand.
Museum director Dr Rodney Wilson said: "It's been such a great learning exercise for the carver and us, and of course that has produced the most beautiful piece."
Honing the stones carver's first chore
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