MAORI ART

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 12 January 1925, Page 2

MAORI ART

In an extremely good article on early Maori art, a. writer in the Auckland Star says, in connection with agricultural impliments and others: ’Tt was, however, in the ornamentation of weapons, tools, utensils and implements that the artistic sense of the Maori had free play. The old time agricultural worker loved to see his ko or digging stick gracefully curved with a. carved end, and a carved step. The fisherman spent hours of patient labour carving a delicate pattern on his favourite fishhook and designing the floats for his nets, so that they were pleasing to his eye. The snarer of birds must necessarily adorn the traps and snares with which he used to catch the pigeon and kaka. The warrior would handle his greenstone mere or blackstone patu, and gaze on the delicate curves and flawless symmetry with admiration. 11 is taiaha and other weapons wore fashioned so as to be both practical and beautiful. Domestic utensils were not neglected by the artist, and carver, for calabashes to contain food had their mouthpieces carved. One could go on giving instances of this love of decoration in Maori life.”