OTAGO MUSEUM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18861, 14 May 1923, Page 11

OTAGO MUSEUM

RECENT VALUABLE ACQUISITIONS.

Mr E. G. Green, of Abbotsford, has presented to tho museum a fragment of an ancient Maori cnnoo found by him in the sandhills at the mouth of the Kaikbrai stream. It is 9 feet long and 10 inches across. The canoe of which it was oboe a part appears to have been broken up.in: pre-European times, for the fragment has been used again for some purpose that can ‘ only be conjectured. Two rectangular holes have been cut in it in the ancient Maori manner, though whether for the passage of ropes or of poles for scaffolding, is not clear. Apart from four ancient paddles in our museum, and a hull in the Dominion Museum, Wellington, this fragment is the only known relic of tho fleets that existed in these waters at the beginning of the last century. We have evidence' that canoes were then numerous, and it is certain that some of them wore very large and that many of them wore double. A bailer was dug up near Loch Ascog. Taieri, some years ago, but has since been lost. The late Mr Harwood, of Lower Portobello, possessed tho carved figurehead of one of the great canoes'which formerly belonged to the _ Maoris at the Kaik. This. interesting piece is stated-to have been exhibited in the museum in the ’seventies, presumably on loan. Unfortunately it does not appear ever to have, been photographed. Information as to its" present whereabout is greatly desired by the museum authorities. . : The University Museum has received from Mr R. A. Farquharson, formerly Otago. Rhodes scholar, who is now Government geologist in British Somaliland, a. small collection of Stone Age implements found m that, part of Africa, The larger ones are indistinguishable in form and technique from' implements derived from tho “river drift” of Western Europe, or irom the, gravels of South Africa, localities from which the museum already possesses representative collections. Of similar type ; and age are the implements,, from Poondi,. -Madras. /presented". to the museum by Mr Seton Earr. ' The larger of Mr Farnuhar-. son’s implements were; found on a hill near the Issutugan River, haying apparently been exposed by the action of tho rain. The smaller implements were found over a wider area, and are probably much less ancient. They do not bear any close resemblance to European £>tone Age ; implements, and are probably local varieties of arrow or spear-heads. >,