When Perception Becomes Reality: The Creation and Reproduction of Images of Traditional Taonga Whakairo (Māori Carvings): An Introduction

Abstract

This paper explores ways of seeing as they relate specifically to traditional taonga whakairo (Māori carvings).  The focus here is not on the carvings themselves, but on the effects on the perception of these objects caused by reproducing images of taonga whakairo in books and in electronic form.  Among the themes considered are the absence of neutrality in photographs, the reduction of traditional taonga whakairo to the status of art or antiquities, and the re-mystification of a selection of these items through the same medium, using the case of the Te Māori exhibition as an example.   The conclusion reached is that in all instances, photographs tend to subvert the objects that they portray in some way.