Kōrero: Painting

Charles Goldie's 1903 painting of Harata Rewiri Tarapata of Ngāpuhi is a good example of his work. The pounamu mere (greenstone club) in the foreground and the hanging flax kete (woven basket) provide a sense of a traditional Māori context, while the lowered face of the kuia (female elder) and her downcast eyes evoke a sense of sadness about the present and contemplation of a distant past. Goldie was expressing nostalgia for what he believed was a dying race.