The Story of the Pou

It is said that in the beginning of time in the days of innocence of our great planet, earth was a veritable paradise.  The earth was so beautiful and abundant in the most wondrous of all material things mankind could ever want or need. However there was a great sadness, as there was something vital missing.   No one knew what it was.  The great wise ones of earth gathered together to decide what was to be done.  After a great time it was decided that the “one” who had journeyed from the stars, who was the “seed” of all mankind, Tangaroa / Tiki {The bravest and wisest of all } the first men( Or man being one and the same) from the stars, was chosen.  The council of the wise ones implored and prevailed upon him to return to the celestial realms to seek the great wisdom and great knowledge of the Supreme Being, so that all of mankind could learn and thus be complete.  He, Tangaroa / Tiki, as the sole representative of all mankind, voyaged to the dark and mysterious void in the heavenly realms to receive the great wisdom and knowledge from The Supreme Being.  The Supreme Being gathered all of the wisdom and knowledge from the four corners of the universe for Tangaroa / Tiki, that he may  return  to earth with these wondrous gifts from the Supreme Being for all mankind.  The wisdom and knowledge was beyond belief, so voluminous it could not be carried in but one basket, but three. Tangaroa / Tiki returned with these wondrous gifts from the Supreme Being, the three baskets of Knowledge.  Mankind would now move from the naivety of innocence, thus ignorance, into enlightenment.

 THE ARTISTS WISH:

 The pou is about knowledge being gathered from the four corners of the heavenly realms by the Supreme Being.  It is the story of Tangaroa / Tiki's journey to and from the heavenly realms to return this great knowledge stored within the three baskets, to all mankind.  It is our dream and intent as artists to acknowledge, enhance and to contribute to this amazing storehouse of knowledge and sanctuary of learning, the Whangarei Library, with our contribution of our artistic work.  It shows in part or in whole that true knowledge is rooted in the beginning of time with an unbounded path into the future.  It is imperative that we have the freedom to access and study all knowledge from all sources, on all subjects, that we may become enlightened and resourceful in our humanity, so that our learning prevents us from becoming ill informed, illiterate puppets of those who would steal from us the God given right to pose and resolve all things based on the wealth of knowledge that is kept in the great store houses of knowledge like this.  It is our dream this will enable all to make sound decisions for optimum, harmonious survival, based in workable knowledge.

We are not all the same.  You have but to look about you to see that truth, but we are of the same species/ genus MANKIND all living on this one place EARTH.

 The pou are about healing.  They are about healing our differences and acknowledging our sameness's.  It's our differences that make us what we are.  This is the wondrous colour on the "palette of life" that all things evolve from and evolve to.  Let us fill our minds, our children's minds and our grandchildren's minds with all of the wondrous contents of the three baskets of knowledge, so that we may have a better world to live in.   A future without hate, without war, without conflict, without prejudice, ignorance and fear.  May we all live in harmony in our uniqueness. Let us enable our children to utilize the wealth of knowledge, with the understanding and intellect to pose and resolve any and all problems that may cross their path on this great planet we call earth.

Copyright © 2003 - 2008 Kerry Strongman