No'oanga (seat)

This no'oanga (seat) has four legs and is carved from a single piece of wood. The curved legs end in flat shallow feet, which extend beyond the base of the legs. These feet are rounded on their outer edges and straight at their inner edges.

Significance

According to research by Te Rangi Hiroa (Peter Buck) in the 1940s, no'oanga were made throughout the Cook Islands. He attributed small no'oanga with short curved legs mainly to the island of Atiu. Other seats much longer and wider in size were made on Aitutaki and were called atamira. On Rarotonga, according to Hiroa, a single seat on a pedestal base was made. In the nineteenth century, no'oanga were symbols of chiefly social status. By the late twentieth century, no'oanga were important symbols of culture but were made mainly for the tourist market.

Acquisition
This no'oanga was acquired by Jock McEwen when he was actively involved in New Zealand's administration in the Pacific during the 1950s and 1960s, particularly as Resident Commissioner on Niue.