Boîte à trésor "waka huia" ·  Nouvelle-Zélande, Maori · ID: 3050088

Description

wood, shell inlay, missing part

These treasure containers stored a person’s most prized personal possessions, such as pendants “hei-tiki”, feathers for decorating and dressing the hair, hair comb “heru” and other items of personal adornment.

“Waka huia” were imbued with the “tapu” of their owners because the boxes contained personal items that regularly came into contact with the body, particularly the head.

“Waka huia” were designed to be suspended from the low hanging ceiling of the “whare” where their beautifully carved and decorated undersides could be appreciated. The beautiful head, presumably representing an ancestor, also looks down accordingly.

These containers were very valuable and were carefully guarded over the generations. As “taonga”, “waka huia” are often gifted between sub-tribes, families, and individuals to acknowledge relationships, friendships, and other significant social events.

L’objet Boîte à trésor “waka huia” avec l’ID d’objet 3050088 a fait partie de la dernière vente aux enchères Vente aux enchères 103 dans 16 novembre 2024 le Zemanek-Münster Hôtel des ventes. L’objet portant le numéro de lot 71 a atteint un prix de vente de 5 000 €.

Vous trouverez ici d’autres objets et des informations utiles sur le thème Art océanien.

Littérature comparée

Phelps,Steven, Art and Artefacts of the Pacific, Africa and the Americas. The James Hooper Collection, London 1976, p. 41, Plate 9 (especially third container from the left)