Carved Wheku Mask 25cm by Wood Masters whale bone Much reduced in range and

Much reduced in range and abundance in the North and South islands due to forest clearance and predation by introduced mammals

Southern koura Paranephrops zealandicus

so named because of its shark-tooth projections along the leaf margins

Width 15cm

possessing a great amount of energy and mauri (life force)

Carved Wheku Mask 25cm by Wood Masters whale bone Much reduced in range andWheku Carved in New Zealand from hardwood 25cm x 14cm x 3. 5cm Stock photo Wood grain may vary About Wheku: The wheku (gable mask) sits below the tekoteko (standing figure) on the top of a whare nui (meeting house). The mask can be related to an important ancestor of the house or be symbolic of a story relating to the origins of the carving. A wheku in your home can be seen as a guardian role, with tongue thrust out to challenge whoever enters a room