Pataka (Storehouse) by junge1

Photography • Architecture • posted on Jul 13, 2017

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Description

Pataka were set on piles for ventilation and to deter kiore (Pacific rats). Sometimes there was a trap door in the floor. As well as keeping the food and taonga safe the pataka protected people from the influence of any tapu (special) objects stored inside. This beautiful and ornate pataka was carved specially for the 1906 New Zealand International Exhibition in Christchurch and formed part of a Maori pa (fortified village).It was then moved back to Te Whakarewarewa (Maori Cultural Center). The carving of a human form at the top of the pataka is called a tekoteko and usually represents an important ancestor of the tribe. This picture was taken in Rotorua on 8 June 2017, Sig...