Umbilical Cord
This sculpture represents the single cord or life line for the many different cultures that come together in Tokoroa. The sculpture is used to demonstrate the strong connection between the people and Tokoroa, they are brought together through their needs and through their love for their community. The cutting of the cord demonstrates the independence of an individual, although the love still remains intact. This is similarly to the Tokoroa people being individuals but coming together to build a community and relying on each other and the land of Tokoroa.
| Location | Mannering Street/Bridge Street corner (outside ANZ Bank) |
| Material | Tōtara, on concrete |
| Created | 2006 |
| Artists | Jules Rameka & Pete Tahere |
| Definition of Name | Umbilical Cord - The umbilical cord is a means of connection between the developing embryo/fetus with the placenta from the mother. |
| Definition Interpretation | The umbilical cord is seen as a life line to the mother as it is through this that the developing child gets its crucial nutrients for growth and development within the womb. |
Materials
The material used for this piece is Tōtara. The log used for this Talking Pole was donated by the Te Putahitanga O Nga Ara Trust.
Tōtara wood is red, straight-grained and easy to work; although rather brittle, it is one of the most durable timbers known. In the early days of European settlement Tōtara was used extensively for house piles, house frames and for fence posts. Being resistant to teredo worm, it was also used in the piling of many early wharves.
To the Māori people the Tōtara was a symbol of strength and goodness. From these trees they made their canoes and their carved whare whākairo, pātaka and food boxes. The bark was used for thatching and for making storage vessels.
Artist Notes
Jules is from Tūwharetoa, and Pete is Ngāpuhi. They have picked up this piece again, after working on it in the 2004 symposium, where they also assisted on the carvings which are at each end of the Wānanga frontage.
The piece will eventually have a bowl on the top, and when it fills up with rain water, it will spill down the spiral they have carved. There are lots of different faces carved on the piece, some of the other artists whom carved these were Bernard, Donald, Iman, and Treaty Moetu. The lei pattern on the base was inspired by the group's visit to the Pacific Island Church.
