MAORI TREASURE BOX, WAKA HUIA
NEW ZEALAND
£5,250
African & Oceanic Art and Antiquities
Auction: 15 October 2019 at 16:00 BST
Description
carved wood, of canoe shaped form, with a carved tiki at each end, one with a single inlaid eye, the exterior of the box carved all over with scrolls and notched ornamentation
Dimensions
36cm long
Footnote
Provenance:
Private collection, Scotland
Note:
This Waka huia would have contained ornaments and other valuable objects. It would have hung from the rafters of the house to keep its powerful contents out of the reach of children. As it would have been viewed from below, the underside is ornately carved.
Its contents would have included personal ornaments for the decoration of the head; specifically the tail feathers of the huia, a heru (hair comb) and hei-tiki pendant. As these items came into contact with the head, the most sacred part of the body, they would absorb the mana (power) of the wearer. For this reason the box that contained them was also considered sacred and imbued with the mana of their owner.