Kumete roroa (food bowl)

This wooden, oval-shaped kumete roroa (long bowl) was made in the Cook Islands, probably around the early twentieth century. It has four short legs that are circular in section. The rim is flat and narrow, and there is a small carved diamond-shaped projection at the top of one end.

Form and function

In the Cook Islands, wooden bowls vary in name, size, shape, and features. Often made of tamanu wood, the small to medium sized bowls are used for domestic purposes and the larger bowls for feasts. Kumete from the Cook Islands are usually oval or round in shape, with an upward projecting rim.

Acquisition

This kumete was collected by Captain John Bollons, probably during the early twentieth century, and purchased by the National Museum (Te Papa's predecessor) from Mrs J Bollons in 1931.