tukutuku
- noun
- New Zealand
- During the ceremony, the elders spoke about the history of tukutuku and its significance in representing ancestral stories.
- tukutuku panels
Examples
-
Ngati Porou Carver Pine Taiapa (1901-72) wrote about two tukutuku panels there:
Academic text (2016) -
On either side of this carved panel are two tukutuku: one uses the takitoru design, again referencing Paikea's arrival in Aotearoa from Hawaiki, while the other side has a tohora pattern, symbolizing a whale.
Academic text (2016) -
From the late nineteenth century, artists began creating new designs on tukutuku panels in which ancestors were depicted.
Academic text (2016) -
These are large single-room structures with a porch, which are often decorated with carving, tukutuku, and kōwhaiwhai.
Academic text (2016) -
Tukutuku designs also record the biographies of ancestors. Kahukura, for instance, is based on the story of an atua of the same name, who was associated with a story of net-making and with the rainbow, and so is often depicted through abstract designs referencing both of these aspects.
Academic text (2016) -
The meeting house was beautifully adorned with intricately woven tukutuku panels that showcased traditional Maori designs.
-
Artisans in New Zealand skillfully create tukutuku panels, which often feature elaborate patterns inspired by nature and mythology.
How Decorative
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tukutuku comes from the Māori language and names the traditional woven 'lattice' panels that decorate meeting houses. A helpful way to remember it is the repeating sound tukutuku, which is like the repeated woven patterns, so the word points to both the decorative panels and the craft of making them.