Whao (nephrite chisel blade)

This well formed whao (chisel) is made from the inanga (pale) variety of pounamu (New Zealand greenstone). It has been ground, bevelled, and polished.

Scribers
Small whao, such as this, were lashed to wooden handles and used as 'scribers' - wood carving instruments that didn't require the use of a tā (striking mallet). Directed by the hand of the carver, they were capable of producing very fine work, as typified by other objects on Collections Online, such as the kūwaha pataka (carved figure: OL000489) and pare fragment (door lintel: WE000377).