Ceremonial adze

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Description

wood, coir, stone (basalt), square shaft carved with filigree ornaments partly in openwork design, fine coir binding, sharpened and polished blade from black basalt, slightly dam., missing parts (shaft, tip of the blade base);
adzes of this elaborate kind were a form of god image, possibly related to “tane-matariki”, the god of the craftsmen. Stone blades served as exchange valuables as well as tools, and could also serve as shrines for gods. These adzes enshrine the finest of woodwork, binding and stonework.

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Comparing literature

Hooper, Steven, Pacific Encounters, Norwich 2006, p. 229

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