Collection Search

Complete kahawai lure. Curved wooden shank with notches at head and base for lashings. White iridescent shell inlay, broken near the centre. Muka lashings at head and base. Twisted cord attached at head with a nail sticking out of the cord. Some feathers attached to muka at the base. Curved bone point with internal barb.

Complete kahawai lure. Curved wooden shank with notches at head and base for lashings. White iridescent shell inlay. Muka lashings at head and base. Twisted cord attached at head. Straight iron point with internal barb.

Single Poi Kanga (corn husk poi). Corn husk has been wrapped longitudinally from the internal base of the cob around spherical ball or stuffing and secured with muka (flax fibre) cord. Evidence of burn marks to the outside leaves. Muka cord formed via miro (rolling) inserted into top of poi terminating in a knot. Early and modern weavers frequently experimented with corn husk in weaving due to its easy availability, ease of preparation and its ability to mimic or replicate natural native materials.

Unfinished paepaeroa cloak, in process of manufacture. The paepaeroa cloak is supported on two weaving sticks (turuturu). The starting decorative (taniko) border forms a side of the cloak (kahu) when worn. The body of the cloak (kaupapa) is twined row by row from left to right, and red wool is worked in to form a decorative finish for the neck edge on the right of the cloak. The warp (whenu) for the lower taniko border is attached at this stage and lies ready at the left to be worked when the rest of the garment is complete. The cloak is then turned back 90 degrees and the taniko border worked. The taniko on this paepaeroa cloak is 5cm wide, using dyed black wool, with a triangle pattern worked in white and red wool. The weaving sticks taper slightly at the bottom, and reduced at the top with knob to secure the paepaeroa to. Between the two weaving sticks the paepaeroa is secured to a metal rod.

Complete pake (rain cape) made of flax and tussock. Thick plaited muka fibre at the top edge, with smaller plaited ties attached. Top third is bordered with a shorter layer of fibre. Bottom edge is uneven.

Large taha huahua (calabash container) consisting of a gourd inside a woven kete and a wooden frame. Gourd is dark brown/dark orange, with the top cut off to create a wide opening. There are four perforations around the rim of the gourd opening (only one is intact), used for fitting a tuki (wooden mouthpiece). Kete is woven in a under-one, over-one plait, using alternating black and natural unscraped flax. A plaited muka cord is tied around the kete opening, forming a series of loops and lashings around the wooden frame, as well as creating a handle. The wooden frame consists of two hoops around the kete and four legs, which rest diagonally to the calabash.

Complete kahawai lure. Curved paua shell shank with serrations along edges. Muka lashings and twisted cord at head and base. Straight bone point with internal barb and external notch. Point and lashings at base appear to be burnt.

Complete kahawai lure. Curved wooden shank with notches at head and base. Muka lashings across notches and cord at head. Paua shell inlay. Bone point is complete and straight with internal barb. Orange and yellow feathers attached by lashings at the base.

Piece of twisted muka cord

Complete kahawai lure. Wooden shank with knobs at head. Paua shell inlay. Muka lashings at head and base. Curved bone point with internal barb and notches at base.

Complete string of 12 glass trade beads. They are of varying size, but all small. They are strung on a straight piece of muka, tied at both ends.

Wooden adze haft. Surface is polished smooth. Handle is round in cross section, with a platform at the distal end running perpendicular to the handle. Groove cut in platform with plaited flax tied around and attached to handle.

Kete Muka woven from natural and black dyed muka (flax fiber) using whatu aho patahi (single-pair weft-twining). Cast on for this kete is unusual as is appears a base cord has been used as a foundation, whenu (warp strands) have been added by creating a loop with the whenu and pulling both tail ends through. The body of this kete is decorated with mawhitiwhiti (woven cross stitch) patterns. A badly deteriorating natural and black muka three ply whiri (braid) has been added to act as a handle. Frill work woven outer edge in black and natural muka.

Ceremonial adze haft, identified as a fake. Dark brown wood with paua shell inlay and a twisted muka cord for lashing. Handle is carved with a geometric pattern of ridges and notches, with a human head carved on the butt. Haft consists of a carved human figure with adze housing situated between rear of legs, grasping a fish to its mouth with both three-fingered hands. Manaia eyes and forehead runs down ridge to base of hafting point. Figures are carved with geometric patterns.

Complete kahawai lure. Curved wooden shank with notches at head. Shell inlay. Straight bone point with internal barb. Muka lashings at head and base.

Complete kahawai lure. Wooden shank with paua shell inlay. Straight bone point with internal barb. Muka lashings at base and head.

Complete kahawai lure. Curved wooden shank with knob at base for lashings. Iridescent paua shell inlay. Muka lashings at head and base. Twisted muka cord attached at head. Straight bone point with very prominent internal barb.

Complete kahawai lure. Wooden shank with paua shell inlay. Straight bone point with internal barb. Muka lashings at head and base with twisted cord bundle at head.

Complete two-piece fish hook, with wooden shaft and bone point. Point is straight and barbed. Point is lashed with muka at base. Shaft is cylindrical in shape, with curved base and knob at head.

Complete matarau (eel spear). Wooden handle worked to a sharp point at both ends. Six other prongs lashed to one end of the handle with two metal braces and muka fibre.