Wakahuia (treasure box)

item details

NameWakahuia (treasure box)

ProductionUnknown; carver; 1800-1900; New Zealand

Classificationcontainers

Materialswood, shell (animal material), kōkōwai

Techniqueswoodcarving

DimensionsOverall: 151mm (width), 508mm (length), 135mm (depth)

Registration NumberME002370

Credit lineSir Walter Buller Collection. Gift of W. Leo Buller, 1911

Overview

Waka huia are treasure containers for storing a person's most prized personal possessions, such as hei tiki (neck pendants), feathers for decorating and dressing the hair, and other items of personal adornment. Waka huia were imbued with the tapu (taboo) of their owners because they contained personal items that regularly came into contact with the body, particularly the head (the most tapu part of the body).

Details
The body and lid of this waka huia are carved predominantly in the whakarare (distorted) pattern. The lid has two opposing human figures carved in high relief along the median line. These adjoin to two carved faces at each terminal point forming small handles. The waka huia's rich red-brown patina imitates the natural red, iron-rich kōkōwai (ochre) and shark oil mixture used by Māori in pre-European times.