Carved Histories

Book excerpt: This comprehensive guide examines the personal histories, roles, and personalities that played into the traditional cultural art of carving. It also traces the influence of European patronage and the ensuing tourist trade upon this art form, as many Maori carvers began styling and catering their product to meet their clients’ aesthetic desires. Included is a discussion of the establishment of the government-sponsored Rotorua School of Maori Art in 1928, which appointed as the main tutor Eramiha Kapua, a Ngati Tarawhai carver, thus helping his own traditional tribal art to make the transition into a modern “national” art.