The Tamati Waka Nene piece, painted on a canvas with oil paints, illustrates the Chief of the Ngāto Hao people in Hokianga. The chief himself is shown to be wearing garments such as a lash feathered clock as well as a green stone earring which was referred to as taonga in the native language (this translates into treasures passed down from ancestors). Additionally, the chief is depicted as extremely powerful and influential in society because of the intricate tattoos present on his face. Moreover, the Chief is holding in one hand a weapon known as tewhatewha, which is also adorned with feathers and a green gem similar to that of his earring. All of these additional features serve to exhibit Tamati Waka Nene’s mana therefore, he has a high place in the Hokianga society.
The main function of the elaborate painting is to commemorate the intelligent leader during his time of rule where many cultural shifts were taking place. Additionally, the painting serves to evoke ancestral presence and awareness. This also holds a spiritual presence with the people of Hokianga because it displays him in cultural garments (because he converted to the Wesleyan faith) in addition to the fact that the artwork was painted in such a realistic manner. This evokes a notion of ancestral presence into the real world of the Hokianga people after the war chief depicted in the painting died in 1877.
The Tamati Wake Nene painting was actually painted 1890 which was well after the chief’s death in 1877 and it was painted based off of a photo of the chief. The chief in the painting was living in a time when Europeans were starting come into Hokianga and causing a cultural shift. This caused the chief himself to convert into a European religion and foregoing his previous culture. It is for this reason that this painting holds such a deep significance with the Ngāto Hao people because it essentially brought their chief back to life in a time before he and some of his followers conveyed.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-oceania/polynesia/a/tamati-waka-nene
https://quizlet.com/80930491/ap-art-history-period-9-pacific-flash-cards/