Raharuhi Rukupō

Raharuhi Rukupō ( 1800s – 29 September 1873), also known by his anglicised name Lazarus Rukupō, was a notable Māori tribal leader and carver of New Zealand. The New Zealand government described him as "one of the greatest tohunga whakairo (expert carvers) of the 19th century."

He identified with the Rongowhakaata iwi. He was born in Manutūkē, near Gisborne, New Zealand. Some of his most famous carvings was the Te Toki-a-Tāpiri war canoe in 1840, which is displayed in the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and the carvings inside the Toko Toru Tapu Church in Manutuke near Gisborne.

Rukupō carved a self-portrait in the early 1840s, which is available to view on the Encyclopedia of New Zealand website.

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