‘Te Pou Manawa o Te Waka a Rangi’ The Aft Mast of Rangi’s Canoe’ Pou Tāne – Male Element
$4,800.00
2026
Redwood Sleeper/Natural fibre manila cordage/Black wood stain/Acrylic paint
2400mm x 205mm x 100mm
SKU 16623
These spiritual pou work in unison with each other and both of these masts are responsible for supporting the constellation Te Kokota – Hyades, the great sail of Rangi. Without each other the great waka of Rangi will become a waka mapuna – an unmanned waka – floating about without any direction.
Pou Tāne – Male Element
This aft pou provides the power, stability and manoeuvrability to generate and control the speed at which the waka slowly navigates the cosmos.
He wears his mataora – chiefly facial tattoo – proudly to show his status and responsibilities on the waka.
He is wearing his korowai – chiefly cloak – tightly across his shoulders, sheltering others and acknowledging his responsibilities not just in the spiritual realm. The tell tails of his korowai are used as wind find markers to provide maximum power to the waka as it traverses the night sky.
The rope of his korowai represents the many working ropes used on the waka to hoist and lower the mighty celestial sail Te Kokota, and the many other rope tasks designed to help navigate the waka through the night sky. They represent physical strength, hard manual labour and working together to achieve a task.
The koru designs beneath his korowai represent peace, harmony and new beginnings.
Beneath that is the mango pare – hammerhead shark – design representing tenacity, determination, adaptability and resilience to overcome challenges and navigate difficult situations. Here it encourages the use of these qualities in everyday life.
The darkened colour of these pou represents Te Pō Nui – the great night sky of Ranginui – and also acknowledges the present and highlights the damage we are doing to Papatūānuku – Earth Mother – through climate change, war and other factors.
The black, red and white colours represent Māori creation stories in the cosmic realm.
Manawatia a Matariki – let us celebrate the rising of Matariki.
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