The art of wood carving was brought to their ancestors by Ruatepupuke according to one Maori legend. According to the legend, Ruatepupuke's son Manuruhi offended Tangaroa, the god of the sea. As punishment, Tangaroa abducted Manuruhi and transformed him into a woodcarving to adorn the gable of his house beneath the sea. Ruatepupuke descended into the sea in search of his son, where he overheard the carved ancestor posts of Tangaroa's house talking to each other. the posts told him where to find Manuruhi. Angered by the mistreatment of his son, Ruatepupuke set fire to Tangaroa's house. He then returned to the human world, brining Manuruhi and several carved posts with him, and introduced the art of wood carving to humanity. The reference to talking carvings in the story evokes the aesthetic standards Maori carvers aspire to in creating their work. A masterful carving is said to "speak" to the viewer, while a lesser example remains silent.
The following translation is from a version of the story recounted by Mohi Ruatapu and Henare Potae of the Ngafti Porou tribe:
This is the story of Ruatepupuke, who first made wood-carving known. The cause of his discovery was the going of his child, Te Manuhauturuki, to sail a boat. The child was captured by Tangaroa, taken to his home, and set up on the gable of his house as an image. When the child was missed, his father set forth to look for him … he went there, and so found the body of his child set up on the roof-gable of the house.
When Rua entered the house the carved posts were talking amongst themselves; he heard the posts talking, but those outside remained silent. He closed up all the interstices of the house … and when the sun had set, Tangaroa and his family arrived and sought repose within their house. There they amused themselves with posture-dancing, hand-clapping contests, cats’ cradle and other games, as is usual when many folk meet together … When day came the interior of the house was still in darkness …
By this time Ruatepupuke had come and taken a position in the porch of the house with his weapon at the ready … He set the house on fire, and the folk inside ran out; the first was Kanae (mullet) … then came Maroro (flying fish) … then came Kokiri (trigger fish) … But most of Tangaroa’s children were destroyed … The carved posts of the outside of the house were taken away; some of those did not talk, and so it is that carved images of the present time do not have the power of speech.
(This legend was taken from: Te Ahukaramu Charles Royal. 'Tangaroa – the sea - Ruatepupuke and the origin of carving', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 2-Mar-09
URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/tangaroa-the-sea/4 )
