Toki (adze)

This toki (adze) is possibly a toki-hila - a large adze used to carve the hull of vaka (canoes). It comes from the island of Nukunonu in Tokelau, although toki like this are also made in New Zealand. It has a rectangular sectioned blade made from tridacna shell, a species of large clam. The shell has been ground so that no trace of the surface remains. The shell blade is lashed to a small, modern handle by a plaited cord of sennit (coconut husk fibre), wound in a simple X pattern.

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. 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.

New Zealand toki
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. These toki have steel blades and wooden handles made from local wood, and are bound together with either sennit, when it is available, or nylon fishing line, or tightly bound strips of stretched tyre rubber. They are sometimes used in the construction of small scale replica canoes, but are most commonly used to carve wooden tuluma (fishing tackle boxes) from local or imported timber.