RARE MAORI RELICS

Evening Star, Issue 25084, 27 January 1944, Page 4

RARE MAORI RELICS

GIFTS TO OTAGO MUSEUM PARTLY PREPARED IMPLEMENTS Tho Otago Museum has recently benefited by a geuorous gift of a largo collection ot Maori reucs from Mr Charles Haines, of Camp- Hill, Glenorchy, who had previously presented a number of choice pieces tor the Maori section. The latest gift totals about 25U pieces, some of which are almost unique and of remarkable interest to students. Mr Haines's homestead at Camp Hill was at one time a. show place wjth an outstanding selection ot tine trees and shrubs. When he took oyer the land he found there and in the district around a large amount ot Maori material indicating that it had been the site of a permanent Maori settlement. The laud sloped favourably to the sun and was a warm spot, although it was almost overhung by Mount Aspiring and other peaks. A number of the pieces found by Mr Haines would have fetched high prices iu the salerooms, but of greater interest were pieces of rough greenstone which had been excavated on the spot and roughly worked into shape. JNo othe.r material of this nature is known in New Zealand at present. The quality of the greenstone is not hign. Adzes of the. same material have been found at Lower Portobello and at Otakou.and it is to be supposed that Maoris of those districts went to tho Camp Hill region near Glenorchy and roughly worked stone which they later took back to the Otago Peninsula settlements.

Faced with the long march ot about 250 miles back to the Otago Harbour, the Maoris would have to reduce the weight of. the greenstone they carried and so the lumps of stone were brought roughly to adze form on the spot. If a Maori wished to make a greenstone tiki when he arrived back at Otakou he would have to adapt the human form to adze shape ana that is probably the reason why so many of the tikis on display at the museum follow the conventional adze shape and have a cutting edge at the base. TREE-FELLING TOOL.

The Haines collection occupies threecases in the museum. The largest piece is 15£ inches long. • Perhaps the most interesting is one designed for tree-felling, having a very narrow cutting edge, but .great thickness to stand the heavy work. One of the adzes is of the clear dark greenstone familiar to the older generation of New Zealanders in the form of brooches and jewellery. ■■ The greenstone for* this adze was probably obtained from the Arahura and Taramokau Valleys in Northern Westland whence came most of the stone used by jewellers 30 to 40 years ago.

In addition to the implements of greenstone, the collection includes a number of fine implements of other rocks, many of them being what are generally called Southland types < and shapes. There is also a series of circular slate scrapers, some of them showing efforts of manufacture. One has a rare feature of perforation, presumably for hanging by when the scraper was not in use.

Two rarities are decoy whistles for calling caw-caw. They are made of soapstone and decorated with rough carving. A fine whalebone mere is included and there are also a number of drill points and other rough woodworking tools, including a gimlet and a router made from greenstone.