item details
NameToki pounamu (nephrite adze blade)
ProductionUnknown; carver; 1350-1500; New Zealand
Classificationadzes, toki, hand tools, blades
Materialspounamu
Materials SummaryManufactured by hand using stone, sandstone, and water.
Techniqueslapidary
DimensionsOverall: 75mm (width), 235mm (length), 27mm (depth)
Registration NumberOL000119
Credit lineOldman Collection. Gift of the New Zealand Government, 1992
Overview
This early toki pounamu (greenstone adze) blade has been fashioned in the East Polynesian style. It features a distinctive grip designed to facilitate hafting to a wooden handle.
Te Tipunga period (1200-1500)
The toki's older style and the fact that it is made from pounamu (New Zealand greenstone), which is found only in remote parts of the South Island and was discovered well after New Zealand's first settlement phase (1100-1300), suggest it was made during the Te Tipunga period.
Valued objects
Toki of superior quality, such as this one, would often be carefully retained within whānau (family) and hapū (sub-tribe) groups, even across generations. They were sometimes attributed with magical qualities and supernatural powers.