Toki-hila (adze)

This toki (adze) is a toki-hila - a large adze used to carve the hull of vaka (canoes). The steel blade of the toki has been lashed to the foot of the kau toki (handle) with sennit cord (coconut husk fibre).

Origin
This toki-hila is one of a set of ten made in Porirua, New Zealand. They were manufactured under the supervision of the late Fuli Fati, a respected Tokelauan tufuga (cultural expert). For Tokelauan communities, tufuga are custodians of specialist cultural knowledge. Fuli's grandsons Jack Kirifi and Kupa Kupa made the handles from fallen willows near a local stream and the blades from steel chisels. The sennit lashing material came from Tokelau. Making the toki helped Fuli's grandsons to take on Fuli's knowledge and enhanced their sense of identity as Tokelauans.

Materials
Toki have three parts - the kau toki (handle), the lau toki (blade) and the lau kafa (lashing) - and are classified into types according to size and purpose. Before extensive European contact, Tokelauans usually made the blades from tridacna shell, a species of large clam. There is no stone on the coral atolls of Tokelau for the manufacture of toki and other woodworking tools, but occasionally Tokelauan seafarers brought back stone blades from Samoa. After the first encounters with Europeans metal blades were also used. The durability and greater effectiveness of metal made it a sensible and popular choice among carvers simply because it made life easier.

Continuing craft
In Tokelau, toki are used in the manufacture of vaka and other wooden articles such as tuluma (fishing tackle boxes) and kumete (bowls). Tokelauans in New Zealand make toki to ensure the continuation of their customary crafts, as well as for use around their homes and work places.