Canoe Prow (New Zealand)

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from National Museum of Natural History as part of Tools: Extending Our Reach.

This ornate canoe prow, tauihu, is a power object. Most likely from a war or fishing canoe, it is a symbolic social force laden with symbolism meant to impress onlookers and embolden users. Canoes, waka, were some of the most important possessions of Maori chiefs, who were concerned with their lineage and their ancestors’ original migrations from central Polynesia. This prow belonged to Chief KiwiKiwi from the Bay of Islands, on New Zealand’s North Island. Carved canoe prows feature a stylized long-necked head projecting forward with tattooed facial designs and a protruding tongue. The aggressive figure at the prow was believed to part the seas, the domain of the god Tangaroa. The figures and spirals, part of the complex symbolism of the Maori, are found across a variety of wood carvings. Wood was worked with stone tools and a mallet of wood or whalebone and carried out under ritual restrictions.

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Tools: Extending Our Reach.