Story: Economic history

Waka huia

Waka huia

A waka huia is a treasure box, which was used by Māori to hold precious adornments such as hei tiki (pendants) and huia feathers for dressing the hair. Although Māori had a subsistence economy, they had enough time and resources to produce purely ornamental objects such as this.

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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Reference: WE000946

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Brian Easton, 'Economic history - Early Māori economies', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/object/24314/waka-huia (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Brian Easton, published 11 Mar 2010