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Story: Tūranga i te hapori – status in Māori society

Tohunga Kāwana Pitiroi Paipai

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Tohunga Kāwana Pitiroi Paipai

This painting of Kāwana Pitiroi Paiapai was made in around 1884. He was a tohunga of Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi from Pūtiki , Whanganui. Tohunga can be seen as a separate class in Māori society, however they are also usually of chiefly status.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: G-551

by Margaret Bullock

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Tūranga i te hapori – status in Māori society – Class, status and rank, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/31106/tohunga-kawana-pitiroi-paipai (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 3 May 2011.