Collection Search

Broken needle. Distal end is sharp. Proximal end broken around the eye, which partially remains, drilled and circular.

Complete needle, manufactured from hollow bone. Distal end is sharp. There is a drilled, circular eye at the proximal end.

Complete needle. Distal end is sharp. There is a sawn eye at the proximal end, cracked above.

Broken bone pendant, broken at one end. Curved with a suspension hole at one end. Some pink discoloration on the surface and glue residue.

Partially manufactured fishhook

Incomplete shank fragment; broken at tip. There is one external knob at the head.

Complete straight fishhook point. 4 notches at the base on one edge, one notch on the opposite edge.

Complete needle. Distal end is sharp. Thickness reduced at the proximal end, with a drilled, circular eye.

Complete fishhook point, straight and barbed with notches at base.

Complete two-mouthed hinaki (eel trap). Two-strand, half-twisted twining made from vine. Stick-like projections at the end of the eel funnels. Four internal braces woven into body. Bait door at one end with two rounded handles. Another larger handle on the other side.

Complete hue (gourd container or calabash). Mid brown and mid orange. Elongated, bulbous base with a short, curved neck. Top of the neck has been cut away and the edges have been polished smoothed. Small perforation just below the top. Base is severely cracked.

Complete hue (gourd container). Dark orange in colour. Hole cut out on one side of neck; small piece of stem still attached. A twisted and knotted piece of muka cord is looped around the body of the gourd and tied at the top for use as a carrier.

Complete hue or taha tuatua (gourd container or calabash) inside a woven kete. Oval shape, with a rounded base broken in several fragments. Top is cut off at the neck, creating a large circular hole with sides worked smooth. Kete is made of unscraped harakeke, plaited in an over-one, under-one twill, broken in several places and with a broken muka handle. Metal ring and broken pieces in plastic bags accompany the hue.

Complete tatā (canoe bailer). Dark brown wood. Handle is straight and carved with a rauponga (ridge and notch) pattern and a face carving at the proximal end. Eyebrows, eyes (one with paua shell and one missing), nose and mouth indicated. Scoop is U-shaped with thick walls. Exterior surface is carved with faces and spirals around the rim and koru pattern on the bottom. The carvings on the scoop are amateur, possibly unauthentic and added after the handle carvings. The interior of the scoop is unornamented with a ridge at the pouring edge.

Complete kahu huruhuru (fowl and kiwi feather cloak). There are kiwi feathers along the borders mixed with fowl feathers. There are reddish fowl feathers and white fowl feathers with iridescent black fowl feathers tags that form vertical parallel lines. Along the bottom edges there is black and natural twine fringing. The top of the cloak is worked in a thick multi-strand braid with two ties approximately 25cm from the edges. The cloak is wider at the top, narrowing towards the lower edge.

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.

Complete straight fishhook point. Barbed with notch at barb. Knob and notch at base.

Complete tatā (canoe bailer) made of a split whalebone. Large bulbous end made from the epiphysis of the bone, tapering to a straight, open pouring edge. Exterior side of the epiphysis has a mouth and protruding tongue carving and decorative geometric patterns. Handle curved over the top, with a human face (spiral eyes, nose, lips and tongue) indicated at the end. Surface has been polished on one side, and is burnt on the epiphysis and on the handle. Holes at the epiphysis. Has previously been broken and repaired at the pouring edge. Identified as a fake, not of authentic Māori origin.

Complete hue (gourd container or calabash) with bulbous base and relatively small, narrow neck. Single, square perforation at base of neck and remnant of vine stem at the top. Fibre cord twisted and knotted around gourd (dividing body into 8 areas) with the three individual cords held together above the neck. Rattles.

Moa bone, possible fishhook tab. No drill marks.