Tekoteko

A tekoteko is a Māori carved human figure that is mounted as a finial, usually above the gable of a Māori building, most commonly a wharenui (meeting house) or a pātaka (food storehouse).^[1]^[2] It usually stands above the koruru, a carved head mounted where the bargeboards meet at the apex of the gable.^[3]

The word tekoteko has also been used of freestanding carvings of human figures.^[4]

References

^ "Tekoteko". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
^ "Gable figure (Tekoteko)". www.metmuseum.org. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
^ "Koruru (gable mask)". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
^ "The story behind the tekoteko of Whakarewarewa Village". Whakarewarewa, The Living Māori Village. Whakarewarewa Thermal Village Tours. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2021.

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[1] "Tekoteko". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 23 May 2021.

[2] "Gable figure (Tekoteko)". www.metmuseum.org. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 23 May 2021.

[3] "Koruru (gable mask)". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 14 November 2024.

[4] "The story behind the tekoteko of Whakarewarewa Village". Whakarewarewa, The Living Māori Village. Whakarewarewa Thermal Village Tours. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2021.

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