{"id":7177,"title":"Post Figure (poutokomanawa)","medium":"Wood, paua shell","classification":"Sculpture","dimension":"55 1/2 x 16 x 7 3/4 in. (141 x 40.6 x 19.7 cm)\r\n51 3/8 in. (130.5 cm) (object part, bottom of foot to top of head)","object_name":"Figure","continent":"Oceania","country":"New Zealand","nationality":"New Zealander","culture":"Ngāti Kahungunu Māori","dated":"c. 1840","room":"G262","list":"aampi, oceanic-art-highlights","role":"Artist","text":"<font face=Times New Roman size=3>  </font>\n<p>\n\t<span style=line-height: 107%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;>This <i>poutokomanawa</i> may have welcomed guests to a Māori communal house and protected its sacred essence. The Māori conceived of these houses as the physical embodiment of an ancestral spirit: the ridge pole represented the backbone, the side supports represented the ribs. The <i>poutokomanawa</i>, supporting the main beam in the center of the house, means “the post that supports the heart.”</span>\n</p>\n<font face=Times New Roman size=3>  </font>\n<p>\n\t<span style=line-height: 107%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;>The figure is a portrait of the ancestor whose spiritual power infused the building, recognizable by the unique tattoo pattern carved on the face. The head, being the center of personal power, is larger than life. The large hands resting on the abdomen suggest spiritual strength and emphasize the life force that links spirits and humans. This <i>poutokomanawa</i> was carved by a member of the <i>Ngāti Kahungunu</i> tribal group of New Zealand.</span>\n</p>\n<font face=Times New Roman size=3>  </font>","creditline":"Gift of Curtis Galleries, Inc.","accession_number":"2001.65a, b","artist":"Ngāti Kahungunu Māori artist","life_date":"New Zealand","department":"Arts of Oceania","rights_type":"Public Domain","image_width":6111,"image_height":10700,"recent":0,"see_also":[],"sort_number":"2001    65a    b","image":"valid","public_access":1,"curator_approved":1,"highlights":0,"Cache_Location":"007000\\100\\70\\7177","Primary_RenditionNumber":"mia_8004228.jpg","Rights_Image_Display":"Full","list:aampi":true,"list:oceanic-art-highlights":true,"related:audio-stops":[{"title":"Poutokomanawa","_id":"7177","objectId":"7177","link":"http://audio-tours.s3.amazonaws.com/p263.mp3","number":"263","type":"audio"}],"mtime":"2026-02-04T06:00:50.797Z"}