Wahaika
Description
A whalebone wahaika featuring a human figure. The hands and feet of the figure are carved in a naturalistic style - one hand with five fingers. There are paua insets in the eyes of the figure and in the eyes of the manaia on the handle. The wahaika's surface has a greenish grey cast.
See full details
Object detail
Subject person
Credit line
Riwha
Tītokowaru
is
said
to
have
given
this
wahaika
to
Native
Minister
John
Ballance
as
a
symbol
of
peace,
when
he
visited
Ōeo,
south
Taranaki,
in
1885.
It
was
passed
down
in
Ballance's
family
before
being
donated
to
Taranaki
Museum
in
1985.
Accession number
A81.420
Collection type
Public comments
Be the first to comment on this object record.