MAORI RELICS FOUND

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11830, 11 January 1933, Page 7

MAORI RELICS FOUND

HOLIDAY-MAKER'S DISCOVERY LN MERCURY BAY CAVE.

WHALE-TOOTH ORNAMENT'

AUCKLAND, January 7

A curiously-carved 'whale tooth, r-howmg characteristics somewhat unusual in Maori craftsmanship, was. found by Air. H. L, Rose, of Pom I, Chevalier, in a cave at Mercury Bay during the Christmas holidays. Mr. Rose,' believing that further discoveries' of Maori relies are pbs ruble, intends to make a second visit to the cave shortly. He was one of a holiday party from Auckland, and he came acrossthe cave bv accident. It was on a bush and E crub-eovered . hillside, and its low entrance required caiefn .negotiation. Air. Rose pioceocec into the cave only a few yards wren he found the whale tooth ornamentand a greenstone scraper lying uncovered on the rook floor. “There were-also four skulls, all of which were fractured o.n tre Tight side,” Air. Rose stated yesterdav. “1 brought two of tbeso hack "to Auckland. They pmbnbly date from cannibal days. I 4%ns of kitchen middens in the

The whale tooth ornament has teen fashioned from a split section of a tooth, and it has every indication of being extremely rare. About- four inches in length, it orignaily ' had U representations •°t W arms, each, with a four-fingered hand, on one ;edge, and 13. on r other. Ten of these remain . lairiy intact, the others having,, been ■ Token off. ' On. the concave side of tac ornament . there has hecp anot er ridge of decorations. Only stumps . remain, but the decorat)oi were .probably the arms carved <•'- the edges. The .tooth Is excellently polished. The. greenstone scraper, is about three inches long and is partly 3110 ' tied in colour. The scraper e go 1 chipped. The article was probably Used as .an ornament, for tbero is one piercebole for a oord, w i e a tempts have been -made to bore wo other holes.