NOVEL MAORI BRACELET
A Maori bracelet, of a novel design, has been presented to the Auckland War Memorial Museum by Mr. A. A. Grace, of Nelson. It is made of 16 carefully-shaped pieces of human legbone, each about two inches long and half an inch wide, strung on a. flax string. This relic was given to Mr. Grace 30 years ago by Karepa Te Whetu, chief of the Ngati-Koata tribe. Karena Te Whetu was the elder son of Te Whetu (The Star), who was one of the lieutenants of Te Bauparaha, and took part in his overlord’s raids against the Maoris of Banks Peninsula and Kaiapoi in 1830. Te Whetu, the father, lived on D’Urville Island, in Cook Strait, and no doubt presented the bracelets (there were two originally) ro his wito as a memento of his victories. The pieces of bone were said by Karepa Te Whetu to have formed part of two bracelets intended to be worn by a woman of rank when taking part in a haka. Mr. Gilbert Archey, director of tho museum, is not aware of any other instance of bracelets being worn in this wav, or, indeed, by Maoris at <U. ‘ __
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Bibliographic details
Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 83, 9 April 1934, Page 8
Word Count
197NOVEL MAORI BRACELET Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 83, 9 April 1934, Page 8
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