Author(s): Te Papa Press

Stationery

The taonga, or treasures illustrated in this calendar are some of the many thousands of precious Maori objects held in the collections of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.Included here are pieces in bone, stone, and pounamu (jade), pou from traditional buildings, the sternpost from a waka (war canoe), a cloak woven with brightly coloured feathers, an ancient hei tiki, ceremonial toki (adzes) and many examples of the rich carving tradition Maori are known for. All are taonga tuku iho, or ancestral treasures, representing many centuries of knowledge held by skilled experts, and centuries of artistic, spiritual and genealogical interconnection. Fisrt published July 2007.