Artifact Number:
D.00081
Object:
Club
Staff, taiaha or hani
Material:
Plant (wood, fiber), hair (dog), shell
Dimensions:
155 x 6 x 3.8 cm
Origin:
Aotearoa, New Zealand, Polynesia
Comments:
Called taiaha or hani, a staff-like weapon with a spatulate blade on one end and on the other, a intricately carved anthropomorhic face with tufts of dog hair attached at the base.
Made from a native hardwood, possibly maire, tassels of fur from the extinct Polynesian dog called "kuri," and red thread wrapped near the head. The carved end with the anthropomorhic face has inlaid paua shell eyes and suggests a protuding tongue intricate spirals as the pointed end of the staff.
Has been in Buck's family for generations (see accession).
This object is associated with Buck
Collection Name: Peter Buck Collection