This is a watercolour painting created by the military artist Captain T J Grant in 1851. The image shows a Mäori woman holding a mere pounamu (greenstone hand weapon) and leading six male Mäori warriors in a war dance. The first male warrior holds a tewhatewha (a close combat weapon around 2 metres long); the second, fourth and fifth warriors hold upturned rifles; the third holds a taiaha (a long club around 2 metres in length); and the sixth holds a toki kakauroa (an axe head fixed to a long-handled shaft). All the male warriors have full facial moko (tattoo). The work measures 18.8 cm x 31.6 cm and is signed and dated in the lower right corner with pencil 'T J G/1851'. 'War dance' is written in pencil at the bottom centre.
Copyright | Reproduced courtesy of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Purchased 1995 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds |
---|---|
Creator | T J Grant, artist, 1851 |
Identifiers | Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa number 1991-0003-16
TLF resource R2834 |
Source | Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, http://www.tepapa.govt.nz |