Planetarium Highlight:
Dinosaurs: A Story of Survival
Rakahau te Kohika
He kura
Complete pendant made from a whale tooth. Knob, notches, and suspension hole at the end of the root. Some reduction on tooth end. Slightly curved to a dull point.
Tooth pendant with broken suspension hole at the root. Flattened distal end.
Whale tooth pendant. Curved to a point at one end. Suspension hole on one side of root.
Taoka Māori
Portion of solid seal tooth, broken at each end.
Seal tooth, hollow root remaining. Saw marks at the each end.
Broken seal tooth, split along one side of the root.
Pacific
Tabua, ceremonial whale tooth pendant
Broken seal tooth, split in half, root and small part of tooth tip remaining.
Seal tooth, split in half.
Seal tooth, split in half with exterior side of tooth curve remaining.
Seal tooth, split in half. Interior side has been ground flat.
Seal tooth, split in half and broken along one edge.
Pendant made from a seal tooth, broken at the proximal end. One broken suspension hole and one drill mark indicating an unfinished suspension hole. Curved and hollow.
Complete one-piece fishhook pendant with incurved tip. External edge from tip of point to 1cm below head serrated. Head has a diagonal groove across shank with v projection and external platform like projection with groove around base. Lower rim platform serrated. Suspension hole at head, drilled from both sides.
Complete pendant made from a seal tooth. Suspension hole at root end.
Complete rei puta (pendant made from whale ivory). Surface is weathered and possibly water-rolled. Proximal edge has a worn chip in the centre, presumably where the perforation for suspension was. Sides taper to a rounded point at the distal end. Face carving with forehead, eyes, nose, and mouth depicted on the front of the distal end.
Chevroned whale tooth pendant. Previously broken in two pieces and glued back together. Most of the surface is smoothed and polished. Curved to a blunt point at the front distal end. Proximal end is squared off with a suspension hole in the centre. Longitudinal ridge running down the front centre consisting of small curved projections, connected by a continuous serrated edge (only a small portion of which is still intact near the distal end). Broken curved projections running down both side edges.
Complete rei puta (pendant made of whale ivory). Surface has been worked smooth. Perforation at the proximal end, drilled from both sides. Natural indentation from root cavity on the back side. Rounded at the proximal end and tapered to a point at the distal end. Front distal end has carved facial features, with brow ridges and eyes indicated. Small drill mark represents nose and three others indicate mouth, but distal edge has chipped off.
Mostly complete whale tooth pendant. Drill mark at root end indicating a broken suspension hole.
Curved point of ivory, distal end is sharpened.