Taoka Māori
Taoka Māori Overview
Tūhura Otago Museum is the custodian of one the largest collections of southern Māori taoka in the world. With the support of the Tūhura Otago Museum Māori Advisory Committee and the Lottery World War One Commemorations Environment and Heritage Committee Fund, over 22,000 items from the collection were digitised for online access in 2016 – 2018. This digital collection continues to grow. As Tūhura Otago Museum holds these taoka on behalf of Kāi Tahu, we request that all images and associated information be used only for research, study, personal, and educational purposes. All enquiries should be directed to [email protected]
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Momo Taoka
Featured Categories
Taoka Puoro
Musical instruments including pūtātara (conch shell trumpets), kōauau (bone and wooden flutes), whio (bird calling whistles) and poi.
Mahi kai ki uta
Taoka for gardening and gathering food inland, such as kō (digging tools) and patu aruhe (fern-root beaters), hīnaki (eel traps) and tara (bird spears), hue (gourd containers) and kumete (wooden bowls).
Mahi kai ki tai
Gear for coastal fishing, including matau (fishhooks) and māhē (sinkers), pā (lures) and ripi (bone levers), kupeka (nets) and bone harpoon points.
Taoka whakarākei
Adornments signalling personal mana, including heru (combs) and kuru pounamu (earrings), and neck ornaments such as famed rei niho (carved whale teeth) and hei tiki.
Rākau o te riri
Weapons of war and ceremony including the close quarter patu and mere, the long wooden taiaha and tewhatewha, and the whalebone hoeroa.
Kā mahi a te whare pora
Taoka of fibre, skin and feathers including intricate kākahu (cloaks), tough paraerae (sandals), kete (kits) of plaited harakeke (flax) and houhi (ribbon wood), bundles of tikumu, industrial taura (ropes), and tools like ngira (needles) for sewing.
Mahi whakairo
Wooden treasures including exquisite carvings from whare (houses) and waka (canoes), hoe (paddles) and tokotoko (walking sticks), and beautiful waka huia - the holders of other treasures.
Kā taputapu
Tools crafted of stone and bone including toki (adzes) and whao (chisels) for wood carving, uhi for tā moko, ripi (knives) and matā (obsidian, flint) cutters.