Story: Kurī – Polynesian dogs

Kurī

This stuffed kurī is at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, in Wellington. The first Polynesians to settle in New Zealand brought the dogs with them on voyaging canoes.

Using this item

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: MA_I006390

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

Basil Keane, Kurī – Polynesian dogs – What is the kurī?, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/16216/kuri (accessed 15 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 1 March 2009.

Comments

sophia
28 November 2016

Did the Polynesians eat these dogs?