Carved Wheku Mask 20.5cm by Derek Drewry

Handcarved by Derek Drewry - Ngati Te Rangi Iwi 
NZ Totara wood

13cm x 20.5cm x 4cm

The wheku (gable mask) sits below the tekoteko (standing figure) on the top of a whare-nui (meeting house).  The mask can be related to an important ancestor of the house or be symbolic of a story relating to the origins of the carving.

A wheku in your home can be seen as a guardian role, with tongue thrust out to challenge whoever enters a room or dwelling.