Sacred Kingfisher by Koryu88, 2020
On the wall at the back entrance of Te Manawa past the Art Gallery off Main Street West, Palmerston North | Get Directions
Type: Public Art
The Sacred Kingfisher mural behind the Oranga Tamariki offices was Koryu's first mural in Aotearoa during his 2020 visit to the country. Koryu used information hosted in Te Manawa to gain knowledge about valued tohu/symbols in Māori culture. The mural depicts a kōtare/kingfisher wearing a pounamu hei matau/ greenstone hook, as a symbol of the importance of fishing to Mäori, and their relationship to Tangaroa, the guardian of the sea and its environs. Note the kōtare's green beak to emulate pounamu.
