Collection Search

Complete bone threader. Manufactured from a thick piece of bone.

Complete fish gorge.

Piece of worked stone, broken at each end. Cream coloured. Surface is polished. Cross section is irregular. Curved and tapered at one end.

Complete stone file, tapered to a dull point at one end. Ovoid cross section. Light red and light brown in colour.

Complete adze. Cross-section is rectangular. Surface of front is ground, surface of sides and back butt bruised with some flaking on front. Undifferentiated between butt and blade, proper right side on back tapered. Bevel is continuous with blade. Cutting edge is sharp and curved. Large chip on proper right side. On front; Otago.

Complete tatua. Plaited flax man's war belt. Natural colouration. Made in one piece, with sides folded over and then folded over longitudinally - unstitched long the bottom edge. Plaited in over two, under two twill with loose flax strands from commencement and finish lying loosely inside belt. Darker dyed three ply plaited fibre braid attached to each end.

Complete wahaika made of wood. Notch on one side of blade. Carved figure protruding from upper blade, creating two perforations. Figure has carved tattoo marks on body. Carved face on butt, with one perforation at the base of the head and another perforation created from its open mouth.

Complete pae hamuti, used as a grip to balance while squatting over a latrine. This piece has been identified as a forgery and not of authentic Maori origin. Dark brown in colour. A human head figure is carved at each end; one is much larger than the other and has paua shell inlays in eyes. The head has been broken at the mouth and repaired. The body of the larger figure is carved behind the head, with three toes and three fingers and spiral decoration on the shoulders and buttocks. The middle of the handle is uncarved and smooth. There is a rectangular reduction on the bar (at the end closest to the larger carved head), with a rectangular perforation in the centre for lashing.

Complete kahu huruhuru, with peacock, chicken and turkey feathers. There are peacock feathers in a square in centre of the cloak, with wool borders approximately 8cm wide of blue, red and black. Along the top there are four ties using the same wool. One pair of ties are short, and set back from the edge by approximately 10cm, there is a longer pair of ties at each corner. Manufactured using a whatu aho patihi technique (single pair twining). The 1first whenu are made with two threads; one blue wool and one undyed flax.

Complete kahu huruhuru with black, white and reddish fowl feathers. Feathers are in roughly parallel, but not completely straight, lines. There is some grey wool in the weaving. There is a small tear along the bottom edge. The side is edged with red wool, the left with undyed wool. Manufactured using whatu aho rua technique (two-pair weft-twining). The upper edge is a thick braid.

Complete adze. Dark grey stone. Surface is ground and bruised. Cross-section is rectangular. Major differentiation between butt and blade; sides reduced to form shoulders. Bevel is demarcated by a line. Cutting edge is sharp on proper right side and broken off from mid-blade to proper left side. "Dunedin?" inscription

Complete kawakawa pounamu ear pendant. Shape is long cylinder with rounded, blunt distal end. Surface is ground. Suspension hole at proximal end. Poll of proximal flattened. Light flaking at the proximal end. There are light green inclusions throughout the pendant.

Pounamu/Nephrite hei tiki. Light green kahurangi variety, West Coast source. Unusual small hei tiki with very straight sides. Head turned to left. Top of head has scarf which runs side to side (which may be a koukou/top knot) and a suspension hole in centre drilled from both sides. Upper middle lip on dominant face extends unevenly to edge. Red sealing wax in eyes. Hands rest on rear of thighs, no legs indicated and flat on rear. Plaited harakeke cord with loop at one end through which the other passes and connects to bone toggle attached.

Whariki muka (table mat). Woven from undyed muka using whatu aho rua (two-pair weft-twining). Frill work woven outer edge.

Complete adze. Cross-section is oval. Surface is ground, except for flaking on back of adze and front of butt. Undifferentiated between butt and blade. Bevel is demarcated by a ridge. Cutting edge is sharp and curved, chipped.

Complete adze. Cross-section is rectangular. Surface is ground. Undifferentiated between blade and butt, some flaking on front corners of poll. Poll is faintly concaved. Bevel is demarcated by a faint curved line. Cutting edge is sharp and curved, heavily chipped.

Cast of a chevroned whale tooth pendant. Curved forward at the distal end, terminating in a stylized facial feature and three small perforations. Broken curved projections run down each side edge. A serration ridge runs down the centre front. Proximal end is rounded and notched with two suspension holes at the centre.

Burnt and broken poutokomanawa (carved wharenui building component). Male figure, not stylized, with head large in comparison to body. Painted dark red with black lips and eyes. Moko also painted in black but obscured on proper right side (as a result of fire exposure?). Nose and chin indicated. Five-fingered proper left hand rests on abdomen, proper right hand below. Right arm and hand have been broken and burnt (thumb is the only remaining digit). Entire left leg is missing. Burn marks apparent throughout, especially below abdomen and on the back side. Attached at the feet to a square black pedestal.

Complete roughout. Stone. Light grey. Cross-section is rectangular. Surface is flaked. Minor differentiation between butt and blade, sides taper towards poll, front slopes down towards poll. Bevel is demarcated by a ridge at chin, cutting edge is sharp and straight, both unfinished. ?Southland written on front.

Complete roughout. Stone. Green and brown. Surface is flaked and bruised. Undifferentiated between butt and blade, front slopes down towards poll. Bevel is demarcated by a ridge at chin. Cutting edge is blunt and curved, both unfinished.