House gable mask
wheku koruru
1985 | Hanns Peter
After years of negotiations between various Māori institutions and the Austrian Federal Government, the remains of Waikato dignitary Tupahau were returned from our museum to New Zealand in 1985. The wooden mask depicting the sea monster Parata is an “object of exchange” for the repatriation of the mummy. This “diplomatic act” profoundly discomfited both the Māori and the Austrian museum staff. The slanted eyes with inlays of Haliotis sea snail shell lend the wooden mask a truly furious expression.
After years of negotiations between various Māori institutions and the Austrian Federal Government, the remains of Waikato dignitary Tupahau were returned from our museum to New Zealand in 1985. The wooden mask depicting the sea monster Parata is an “object of exchange” for the repatriation of the mummy. This “diplomatic act” profoundly discomfited both the Māori and the Austrian museum staff. The slanted eyes with inlays of Haliotis sea snail shell lend the wooden mask a truly furious expression.
Collection:
Hanns Peter (1931 Wien - 1993 Wien) DNB
Artist:
Kerry J. Wilson
Time:
1985
Entry Date:
1985
Object Name
House gable mask
Material/technology:
Wood, Haliotis sea snail shell
Copyright
Weltmuseum Wien
Collection area
Oceania and Australia
Invs.
166824
