IWI / HAPU AFFILIATIONS

Tomika Te Mutu was the paramount chief of the Ngāiterangi and Ngāi Tuwhiwhia people of Tauranga Moana, whose traditional tribal areas extended out from Tauranga to include Matakana and Motuhoa, around Mauao and Katikati-Athenree.¹

Tomika Te Mutu lived on Motuhoa Island and died at Rangiwaea Island in 1867. One of the earliest known images of Te Mutu was made at the 1860 gathering of Māori chiefs at Kohimarama in Auckland, taken by photographer John Crombie which was later displayed at the International London Exhibition in 1862.

Early portraits of Māori tended to focus on important people and leaders of the time and these images quickly became a staple for tourists, the commercial sector and ethnographic collectors. Māori too adapted to their image being taken and often sought out artists with good reputations.

Lindauer painted several versions of Tomika Te Mutu.

NM