The tauihu is the prow of the canoe. It is this form that cuts the water allowing the canoe to follow. Life is very much like the great ocean of Kiwa, full of huge swells followed by calm flat periods with the end never in sight. The Keeper of New Paths understands this but, once the path is chosen he will navigate the canoe forward in the right direction, no matter how rough the waters ahead.
Te Arawa, Ngāti Awa, Whanau a Apanui, Ngāi Tahu
(1972- )
Lewis Gardiner is regarded as one of the most innovative and respected Māori jade artists of his generation. In 1994, he graduated in Māori Craft and Design at the Waiariki Institute of Technology in Rotorua. During his final year he was introduced to the valuable medium of pounamu (jade) and was immediately attracted to its artistic possibilities. Māori had always valued pounamu for both its hardness and for its translucent beauty. Lewis was no different — as he says, “Our tupuna (ancestors) have given us, the Māori people, the resource and knowledge base to provide a reference for us and our children for years to come.”
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