MAORI CARVING

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 163, 7 April 1934, Page 6

MAORI CARVING

A Pakeha Makes Hobby of Native Art WORKSHOP AT UPPER HUTT His face distorted in a horrible grimace, a large Maori tekoteko guards the entrance to the home of Mr. F. Sutherland, at Upper Hutt. Although the image has tlie appearance of genuine Maori carving. It is solely the work of Mr. Sutherland, who is an enthusiastic student of native carving, and who spends much of his leisure time in applying his skill to various species of wood. But the tekoteko is merely an outward witness of bis hobby, and in his modest workshop scores of delicatelycarved figures glare malignantly from their shelves. All varieties of Maori characters and charms are represented in his collection. A “Dominion” reporter found Mr. Sutherland intent on the carving of a deeply-lined Maori face on a piece of totara wood. Swiftly yet faultlessly his chisel followed the delicate tracings of the pencil. Manipulated with deft fingers, his keen-edged chisels and knives left their marks on the wood. An incision here, a shaving there, and each line was made to emphasise its meaning. ° “It is a fascinating pastime,’ said Mr. Sutherland, “and I could spend hours a day at it without tiring. From my youth, I have been keenly interested, in the Maori and his arts and folk lore, and my enthusiasm has found this method of expression. Maori carving is an art in Itself, and my examples are the result of many years of practise and self-instruction.” Ancient Bird Snare. One of Mr. Sutherland’s treasured possessions is a genuine whakakereru, or share for wood pigeons, which lie discovered in company with Mr. R. E. Randall while wandering through the bush near Lake Waikaremoana. The whakakereru, which is estimated to be more than 100 years old, was partly buried beneath leaves and moss, and had to be carried for more than two miles through virgin undergrowth. A slim piece of hard totara, the primitive but effective snare is 4ft. Sin. in length and 9in. in width. Running through the middle of the log is a trough just over 3ft. in length and 3Jin. in depth. Mr. Sutherland explained that it was the custom of the early Maoris to fill the trough with water and to place running nooses cunningly along the sides. The device was then set away from the streams under a tree laden with berries. The birds, after eating the berries, always desired water, which they found conveniently near at hand. They alighted on the edge of the trough, and in order to drink the water had to pass their heads through the loops. Their actions in drinking tightened the nooses, and it became practically impossible for them to escape. The Maoris near the spot where the whakakereru was discovered, went on Mr. Sutherland, were enthusiastic about the find, and were positive that the article was genuine. Marks along the sides indicated the painstaking labour which must have been involved in hollowing the wood with crude implements. Varied Examples of Carving. So extensive has been Mr. Sutherland’s quest, for native antiques, and so productive has been his hobby that one room in bis house resembles a miniature museum. One honoured pedestal supports a stone axe some Sin. long, which was found in a cave near Te Kooti’s stockade at Lake AVaikaremoana. Another contains two tekoteko carvings which were fashioned from honeysuckle and were also found near the stockade. A discovery with close 'Wellington interest is the stone gouge nearly a foot in length, which was found at the old Bridge Pa opposite Mana Island about five miles south of Titahi Bay. Prominently displayed on another section of the wall is a polished kauri paddle which was used at the recent Waitangi celebrations. The paddle was originally of plain wood, but Mr. Sutherland has exercised his art on the blade, which is now covered with a network of symmetrical carving. Miniature canoes and paddles inset with polished shells are to be seen in profusion, as are the tekoteko carvings with their weird expressions and attitudes. Mr. Sutherland has hit upon the happy knack of transforming some of the carving into modern usage, and one of his favourite models is an ashtray made of a carved head with an exaggerated protruding tongue. Perhaps his most original work is an automatic cigarette box, which selects one cigarette ata time by the pressing of a button. The box itself is a mass of intricate design, with delicatelymoulded figures and characters standing out in bold relief. (Picture on Page 13.)