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Maori Wooden Bowls. A. G. Stevenson. The paper described some 40 examples of wooden bowls in the Auckland Museum Collection. Within New Zealand great variety of form is disclosed, ranging from crudely hollowed out logs to well finished examples. It is not possible on present knowledge to relate any given type of bowl to a particular locality. The wood most commonly employed, though not exclusively, was totara. Unusual types were represented by a four-legged specimen from Motiti Island and a specimen from Hauraki Plains, in which the bowl rests on four peculiarly looped feet. Smaller utensils of various shapes were numerous, some being used for pouring and others as platters. Of the former, most possess a spout carved out of the solid. Decoration, though not general, was usually confined to handles and spouts. An example from Waikato has the spout carved in the form of a head with a wide-open mouth. The handles of a Taranakian bowl have both been carved to represent conventionalised human faces.

A. L. Tonnoir.

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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/TPRSNZ1940-70.2.5.4.2

Bibliographic details

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 70, 1940-41, Page XXXVI

Word Count
169

Maori Wooden Bowls. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 70, 1940-41, Page XXXVI

Maori Wooden Bowls. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 70, 1940-41, Page XXXVI