Lot 1394

Description

T.W. (Tahupotiki Wiremu) Ratana, c1920s, badge in brass and enamel (55x50mm), no maker, pin-back (pin missing). Initials PK scratched on reverse, otherwise very fine.

The Ratana movement is a religion and pan-iwi political movement founded by Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana in early 20th-century New Zealand. The te Haahi Ratana has its headquarters at the settlement of Ratana pa near Whanganui.

The main symbol (tohu) of the church is the five-pointed star and crescent moon, the whetu marama (shining light), worn on the lapels of morehu (the scattered remnant, Ratana followers) and at pivotal points on church buildings. The golden crescent moon (symbolising enlightenment) can face different parts of the coloured star: blue represents Te Matua (the Father), white is Te Tama (the Son), red is Te Wairua Tapu (Holy Spirit) and purple is Nga Anahera Pono. Te whetu marama represents the kingdom of light or Maramatanga, standing firm against the forces of darkness (makutu).

On the 8th of November 1918 Ratana saw a vision, which he regarded as divinely inspired, asking him to preach the gospel to the Maori people, to destroy the power of the tohunga, and to cure the spirits and bodies of his people.
Until 1924 he preached to increasingly large numbers of Maori and established a name for himself as the 'Maori Miracle Man'. Initially, the movement was seen as a Christian revival, but it soon moved away from mainstream churches. On 31 May 1925, Te Haahi Ratana (The Ratana Church) was formally established as a separate church which was formally registered on 21 July 1925, and its founder was acknowledged as the bearer of Te Mangai or God's Word and Wisdom.

(Courtesy Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia).