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Carved Wheku Mask 28cm by Derek Drewry
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20cm x 28cm x 4cm
Handcarved in New Zealand, by Derek Drewry Ngai Tai ki Tamaki
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.
About Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki:
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki (Ngāi Tai) are the original inhabitants and Iwi of Tāmaki Makaurau. The Iwi is based in Maraetai, Te Waitematā and Tikapa Moana, and exercises mana whenua and mana moana interests across Auckland and the Hauraki Gulf. Our main marae is Umupuia at Maraetai, and we have various marae connections across Mātaitai, Whataapaka and beyond. The Iwi has whakapapa and other relationships with Iwi in the Tāmaki Makaurau and Hauraki regions.
