New Acquisitions

Complete adze. Cross-section is oval. Surface is mostly ground. Bruised and flaked up along both sides, No differentiation between butt and blade, sides taper towards poll. Bevel is demarcated by a line, cutting edge is sharp and curved.

Complete adze. Cross-section is oval. Surface of blade and and parts of back are ground. Butt and sides mostly bruised and flaked. No differentiation between butt and blade. Bevel is continuous with blade, cutting edge is sharp and curved, chipped.

Complete adze. Cross-section is asymmetrical. Surface is mostly ground across back, areas along side and back are flaked. No differentiation between butt and blade, sides taper towards poll. Bevel is demarcated by a line, cutting edge is sharp and straight.

Complete huata or tao (spear). Wooden rod with a smooth, undecorated surface. Tapers to a blunt point at one end and a flattened, bevelled edge on the other end. Carved inscription "NA MANAMA" near the blunt end.

Complete timo (grubber). Made from a single piece of light brown wood, worked to about a 45-degree angled curve. Surface is smooth and polished. Butt of the handle has a ngututa head carved, with double ngututa heads on the exterior edge where the handle meets the blade. Eyes have paua shell inserts. Previously broken at the top of the blade and repaired. Tapered to a blunt point on the distal end.

Complete adze. Cross-section is oval. Surface of lower blade ground, becoming more flaked towards butt. Minor differentiation between butt and blade. Front reduced, but rises again at mid-butt. Back and front of upper butt has been shaped to point at the poll Bevel is continuous with blade. Cutting edge is sharp and curved.

Broken adze (blade remaining). Cross-section is semi-circular, back flattened. Surface is ground. Butt not present. Undifferentiated until broken point. Bevel is continuous with blade. Cutting edge is sharp and curved.

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 hafted adze Cross-section is rectangular. Adze has a smooth, metal surface, though very rusted. Undifferentiated between butt and blade, though sides taper towards poll Bevel continuous with blade. Cutting edge is sharp and curved. Hafted adze. Adze is connected to shaped haft of dark wood, with twine.

Pair of wooden weaving sticks with sample of twined flax fibre tied between them. The sticks are not identical. One (a) is circular in section, the other (b) slightly oval. Both taper to a point at distal end, stick (a) broken on tip and has grey/brown substance on it. Proximal end is flat. Stick (b) appears to have been chewed and broken. Each has 30mm wide groove, 35mm below end, around, to which is attached the weaving. Coarse muka with 22 rows of double pair twining plus an insert row and commencement row. Commencement and final row have scalloped weft introduced and short pieces of black flax fibre forming decoration.

Pair of wooden weaving sticks with sample of twined flax fibre tied between them. Both weaving sticks taper to a point at distal end, with a groove at the proximal end to which is attached the weaving. One of the sticks is broken at the proximal end. Coarse muka with 8 rows of double pair twining plus an insert row and commencement row. Commencement row has scalloped weft introduced and short pieces of black flax fibre forming decoration.

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