Hine-nui-te-pō

Lisa Reihana, artist

born 1964

Hine-nui-te-pō, 2008

Where object was made: Auckland, New Zealand

Material/technique: chromogenic color print

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 78.7 x 116.3 cm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 81 x 119 cm
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 42.00 x 46.75 x 2.25 in
Weight (Weight): 23 lbs

Credit line: Museum purchase: Helen Foresman Spencer Art Acquisition Fund

Accession number: 2024.0136

On display: Perkins Central Court

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Lisa Reihana’s photograph portraying Hine-nui-te-pō, goddess of night and death, honors women’s powerful roles in Māori culture and re-envisions the mythical figure for the present. Shrouded in darkness, Reihana says that the goddess, “sits above an inner-city Auckland carpark, in reference to the levels of Rarohenga (the Underworld).” Guiding the souls of humans when they die, Hine-nui-te-pō holds a 19th-century glass walking stick, signaling her right to speak. Adorned with multi-gender tattoos, the Māori elder who posed for this photo works with men imprisoned for violence against women.