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The Maori people brought a culture, which included Kowhaiwhai patterns, from Polynesia hundreds of years ago. There are Kowhaiwhai paintings that are over 500 years old still surviving today. The oldest known Kowhaiwhai are the patterns painted on the canoe paddles. These paddles are very rare and are only found in museums throughout the world. There are only 22 of them existing and they date from pre-European to mid-nineteenth century. In pre-European times, the war canoe was viewed as the main symbol of tribal identity, unity and pride. Then as the use of canoes declined, Kowhaiwhai developed to become part of the design of meeting houses, the new symbol of pride. This is most often found on the ridgepole (tahu) or rafters (heke) in great meeting houses (Wharenui). Kowhaiwhai is Maori history as recorded by Maori. The patterns painted on the ridgepole represent the tribal genealogy. The main line of descent begins with the founding ancestor. On the rafters, patterns represent the diverging branches of the family. The patterns, therefore, differ from tribe to tribe, and many have kowhaiwhai unique to their area. In fact, that is the point of the patterns: they are used to define the environment where the tribe exists. Some of the more popular patterns are mangopare (hammerhead shark), ngutu kaka (parrot's beak), ngaru tai (ocean waves) and puhoro (power and speed). Each pattern has deep spiritual significance. They also help to illustrate the mana of the house, the mana of the ancestor and the mana of the people.The meaning of many Kowhaiwhai patterns have been lost over the years, but some are still known. Every country in the world has used designs as part of its art and culture. These designs have been put on the inside and outside of buildings, on vases and even in tattooing on the human body. Each pattern carries a bit of the spirit of the culture from where it comes. One oral account from Ngati Kahungunu about Kowhaiwhai:When Whiro, Haepuru and Haematua climbed up to the second heaven to obtain carvings for their house, they were told by one of the gods that the art of decorating houses with woodcarvings had already been taken away by their younger brothers. Whiro and his two friends complained to the god that they could not go begging to their younger brothers for the art, so the god showed them how to embellish a house with painted designs, 'painted it is said with red ochre, blue pigment, white clay and charcoal.' Whiro and the two friends then descended and adorned their houses with painted designs.(Best, 1982, pages 287-288)

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The Maori people brought a culture, which included Kowhaiwhai patterns, from Polynesia hundreds of years ago. There are Kowhaiwhai paintings that are over 500 years old still surviving today. The oldest known Kowhaiwhai are the patterns painted on the canoe paddles. These paddles are very rare and are only found in museums throughout the world. There are only 22 of them existing and they date from pre-European to mid-nineteenth century. In pre-European times, the war canoe was viewed as the main symbol of tribal identity, unity and pride. Then as the use of canoes declined, Kowhaiwhai developed to become part of the design of meeting houses, the new symbol of pride. This is most often found on the ridgepole (tahu) or rafters (heke) in great meeting houses (Wharenui). Kowhaiwhai is Maori history as recorded by Maori. The patterns painted on the ridgepole represent the tribal genealogy. The main line of descent begins with the founding ancestor. On the rafters, patterns represent the diverging branches of the family. The patterns, therefore, differ from tribe to tribe, and many have kowhaiwhai unique to their area. In fact, that is the point of the patterns: they are used to define the environment where the tribe exists. Some of the more popular patterns are mangopare (hammerhead shark), ngutu kaka (parrot's beak), ngaru tai (ocean waves) and puhoro (power and speed). Each pattern has deep spiritual significance. They also help to illustrate the mana of the house, the mana of the ancestor and the mana of the people.The meaning of many Kowhaiwhai patterns have been lost over the years, but some are still known. Every country in the world has used designs as part of its art and culture. These designs have been put on the inside and outside of buildings, on vases and even in tattooing on the human body. Each pattern carries a bit of the spirit of the culture from where it comes. One oral account from Ngati Kahungunu about Kowhaiwhai:When Whiro, Haepuru and Haematua climbed up to the second heaven to obtain carvings for their house, they were told by one of the gods that the art of decorating houses with woodcarvings had already been taken away by their younger brothers. Whiro and his two friends complained to the god that they could not go begging to their younger brothers for the art, so the god showed them how to embellish a house with painted designs, 'painted it is said with red ochre, blue pigment, white clay and charcoal.' Whiro and the two friends then descended and adorned their houses with painted designs.(Best, 1982, pages 287-288)

# data[].attributes.body
The Maori people brought a culture, which included Kowhaiwhai patterns, from Polynesia hundreds of years ago. There are Kowhaiwhai paintings that are over 500 years old still surviving today. The oldest known Kowhaiwhai are the patterns painted on the canoe paddles. These paddles are very rare and are only found in museums throughout the world. There are only 22 of them existing and they date from pre-European to mid-nineteenth century. In pre-European times, the war canoe was viewed as the main symbol of tribal identity, unity and pride.

Then as the use of canoes declined, Kowhaiwhai developed to become part of the design of meeting houses, the new symbol of pride. This is most often found on the ridgepole (tahu) or rafters (heke) in great meeting houses (Wharenui). Kowhaiwhai is Maori history as recorded by Maori. The patterns painted on the ridgepole represent the tribal genealogy. The main line of descent begins with the founding ancestor. On the rafters, patterns represent the diverging branches of the family. The patterns, therefore, differ from tribe to tribe, and many have kowhaiwhai unique to their area. In fact, that is the point of the patterns: they are used to define the environment where the tribe exists. Some of the more popular patterns are mangopare (hammerhead shark), ngutu kaka (parrot's beak), ngaru tai (ocean waves) and puhoro (power and speed). Each pattern has deep spiritual significance. They also help to illustrate the mana of the house, the mana of the ancestor and the mana of the people.

The meaning of many Kowhaiwhai patterns have been lost over the years, but some are still known. Every country in the world has used designs as part of its art and culture. These designs have been put on the inside and outside of buildings, on vases and even in tattooing on the human body. Each pattern carries a bit of the spirit of the culture from where it comes.

One oral account from Ngati Kahungunu about Kowhaiwhai:

When Whiro, Haepuru and Haematua climbed up to the second heaven to obtain carvings for their house, they were told by one of the gods that the art of decorating houses with woodcarvings had already been taken away by their younger brothers. Whiro and his two friends complained to the god that they could not go begging to their younger brothers for the art, so the god showed them how to embellish a house with painted designs, 'painted it is said with red ochre, blue pigment, white clay and charcoal.' Whiro and the two friends then descended and adorned their houses with painted designs.
(Best, 1982, pages 287-288)

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Kowhaiwhai is Maori history as recorded by Maori. The patterns painted on the ridgepole represent the tribal genealogy. The main line of descent begins with the founding ancestor. On the rafters, patterns represent the diverging branches of the family.

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The oldest known kowhaiwhai is the ones on waka paddles

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The oldest known kowhaiwhai is the ones on waka paddles

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the kowhaiwhai

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The meaning is to share the maori culture and to have a representative of the culture

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The meaning is to share the maori culture and to have a representative of the culture

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The meaning of many Kowhaiwhai patterns have been lost over the years, but some are still known. Every country in the world has used designs as part of its art and culture. These designs have been put on the inside and outside of buildings, on vases and even in tattooing on the human body. Each pattern carries a bit of the spirit of the culture from where it comes.

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Kowhaiwhai is special to NZ no matter what. 

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Kowhaiwhai is special to NZ no matter what. 

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its so pretty

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It has it's history

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Kowhaiwhai is very special to us as a culture

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Kowhaiwhai is very special to us as a culture

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Take pride in Kowhaiwhai and the maori culture, even ir you aren't maori and are from New Zealand

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Take pride in Kowhaiwhai and the maori culture, even ir you aren't maori and are from New Zealand

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Kowhaiwhai is very special and I really like it :)

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Kowhaiwhai is very special and I really like it :)

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its cool as man.

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kowhaiwhai is  a very special plant to the maori religion 

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kowhaiwhai is  a very special plant to the maori religion 

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Its so unique and beautiful

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This is a representitive of maori culture. This is a treasure

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Repetition of a pattern

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*Curly Patterns
*Red black and white
*continues

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never the same

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The kowhaiwhai tells a story like for instance there is a kowhaiwhai which is a hammerhead

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curly
pattern
its cultural for maori and its tell story about what happens
mirror