Koruru (gable mask)

Akoruru is an architectural feature of wharenui or whare tupuna (customary Māori meeting houses). It is a carved head placed at the join of two barge boards that form a gable apex. The koruru is sometimes accompanied by another carved figure directly above it called a tekoteko - usually a representation of a warrior ancestor associated with the bloodlines of the tribe.

Wharenui / whare tupunaThe carved ancestral house is considered the pinnacle of carving achievement and finesse for a tohunga whakairo (expert carver). A wharenuiis acarved embodiment of an ancestor and the koruru is the face of that ancestor. So the koruru is not only an architectural component of a wharenui, it is also a spiritual and symbolic icon, part of the visual language present in the complex carvings of a wharenui.