November 16, 2016
Maori tools celebrated
The author of a new book on Maori tools says stone age doesn’t mean primitive.
Clive Fugill’s Te Toki me te Whao is the first major look at Maori tool-making since Elsdon Best more than a century ago.
Mr Fugill, a master carver for almost 50 years at the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua, says he has always collected information about artefacts and their uses, and felt the time was right to put it into book form.
He says there is sophisticated technology behind shaping and using stone tools.
"The difference between a stone chisel, greenstone chisel for example and a steel blade is that you can work with a stone chisel for probably maybe a week before it needs sharpening because the blade will fracture, whereas a steel one will wear out in probably three days depending on what grade steel you are using," Mr Fugill says.
While the main tools used by Maori were adzes of various sizes, there were also drills and knives made of obsidian and other materials that would take a sharp edge.
Te Toki me te Whao: The story and use of Maori tools is published by Oratia Books
Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com