Smith Art Gallery & Museum | Details | Wakahuia (treasure box)

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Actions Displays	Wakahuia (treasure box) Remove from selection Add to selection Reproduction Download mediaDownload as zip file Object number17083 TitleWakahuia (treasure box) CreatorMāori DescriptionThis beautiful oval wakahuia was made by the Māori people of New Zealand. A precious object in itself, the waka huia is a treasure box lovingly crafted to hold personal items such as hei tiki (pendants made from greenstone), amulets, combs and feathers from the hūia bird. This fine example was made in the mid-19th century. It is shaped like a traditional waka (canoe) and is totally covered in elaborate relief carvings, painstakingly chiselled from the wood. The body is covered in intricate lines and notching, and at either end sits a stylised head. Wakahuia were designed to be hung from the rafters of a house; usually seen from below, this explains why the bottom is as elaborately decorated as the top. Storing them up high kept all the treasures within safe from harm: for Māori these personal objects (taonga) absorb the power (mana) of the wearer. This is especially the case with taonga worn on the head, the most sacred (tapu) part of the body. Wakahuia were valued possessions, carefully passed down through families for generations. By the second half of the 19th century their use had declined. Some carvers continued to make boxes with hinged lids and feet, suitable for sitting on tables or the mantelpiece, instead of being suspended from the ceiling. Production placeNew Zealand Gisborne Production period1840's Object nameBox, wakahuia containers, Religious MaterialWood Dimensions whole Length: 395 mm whole Depth: 124 mm whole Height: 85 mm

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Download mediaDownload as zip file

Object number17083

TitleWakahuia (treasure box)

DescriptionThis beautiful oval wakahuia was made by the Māori people of New Zealand. A precious object in itself, the waka huia is a treasure box lovingly crafted to hold personal items such as hei tiki (pendants made from greenstone), amulets, combs and feathers from the hūia bird. This fine example was made in the mid-19th century. It is shaped like a traditional waka (canoe) and is totally covered in elaborate relief carvings, painstakingly chiselled from the wood. The body is covered in intricate lines and notching, and at either end sits a stylised head. Wakahuia were designed to be hung from the rafters of a house; usually seen from below, this explains why the bottom is as elaborately decorated as the top. Storing them up high kept all the treasures within safe from harm: for Māori these personal objects (taonga) absorb the power (mana) of the wearer. This is especially the case with taonga worn on the head, the most sacred (tapu) part of the body. Wakahuia were valued possessions, carefully passed down through families for generations. By the second half of the 19th century their use had declined. Some carvers continued to make boxes with hinged lids and feet, suitable for sitting on tables or the mantelpiece, instead of being suspended from the ceiling.

Production placeNew Zealand Gisborne

Production period1840's

Object nameBox, wakahuia

containers, Religious

MaterialWood

Dimensions

whole Length: 395 mm
whole Depth: 124 mm
whole Height: 85 mm