Hinauri cast herself into the ocean at the loss of her first husband. When two brothers rescued her she desired their handsome chief, became his lover and killed his jealous wives, thereby creating the Maori’s precious greenstone. I read this tale and interpret it, using Jungian principles, as a woman’s discovery of her own strength and creativity.
Upper: Ancestral figures supporting central pillar of traditional house on shore of Lake Taupo.
Otago Museum: Michael de Hamel. Illustrated encyclopedia of Maori myth and legend: Margaret Orbell.
Lower: Mere Pounamu.
Copyright National Army Museum, Waiouru collection, New Zealand.
Hinauri: part 1
Hinauri: part 2