New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key today presented a precious piece of Maori art and craft to China in celebration of the New Zealand Pavilion Day.
Te Kakano is a canoe carved by craftsmen of the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. Te Kakano, meaning seed in Maori language, is made from a single precious kauri tree, sourced from Northland, near the top of New Zealand’s North Island. The tree is approximately 3,500 years old and the log weighed between 20 and 30 tons and was approximately three metres in diameter.
Te Kakano indicates a series of ongoing cultural projects. It is New Zealand’s gift to China, symbolizing the close relationship between the two nations.
The concept blends two traditional forms – the waka maumahara (canoe cenotaph) and the waharoa (traditional gateway). Te Kakano has yet to be finished after two-month carving and New Zealand’s carvers will continue their work at the Expo site.
A traditional Maori ceremony, powhiri, was held on the occasion. The ceremony is usually held to welcome honored guests or celebrate special occasions. The spiritual leader of a Maori tribe prayed at the ceremony to endow power to the canoe.
(Source: en.expo2010.cn)
