Today we celebrate the start of Matariki, Māori New Year. Matariki (also known as the Pleiades) is a constellation that appears in the New Zealand skies in mid-winter. According to the Māori lunar calendar, the appearance of Matariki on the horizon signals the end of one year and the beginning of the next. Today, Matariki is a time for people across Aotearoa (New Zealand) to celebrate, tell stories, share food, and remember their ancestors.
This carved lintel, called a pare or korupe, signifies the importance of transition. It was likely placed above a door of a wharenui (meeting house) where it marked the transition from the exterior realm of conflict to the interior realm of peace. The central female figure is flanked by two manaia, beings with human, lizard, and bird features that are said to cross between the human and spirit worlds.
Posted by Meghan Bill Maori. Door lintel (Pare or Korupe), ca. 1850. Wood, paua shell,. Brooklyn Museum, Frank L. Babbott Fund and Carll H. de Silver Fund, 61.126. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)