Vivid dreams have been experienced of late, possibly due to cheese consumption . Upon awakening , very little of the dreams have been recalled. However, one dream , in which I watched a large Maori carving being worked on over weeks , made such an impression much of it could be recalled.
The carving reminded me of the above impressive one at the entrance to the Maori village at Whakarewarewa , Rotorua.
By Peter Simon
In the l960s , I saw skilled Maori carvers in action in Rotorua where I also met and wrote about Dutch artist Theo Schoon (1915-1985 ) ,who grew and carved Maori facial tattoos on gourds ; photographed volcanic mudpool and silica patterns ; studied and carved jade, wrote Jade Country.
Born in Java , he came to New Zealand with his parents before WWll. Early on ," living in gumboots "in swampy country, he studied and copied early limestone cave art , which was being blown up by farmers and damaged by stock rubbing against the walls and overhangs .
Another possible contribution to me dreaming about Maori carving could have been the above 1923 advertisement for a Rotorua newspaper in a batch of Australasian newspapers . Two Maori clubs hanging from the dressing table also came from Rotorua .
