Many of these tukutuku panels descend from the star charts carried by ancient navigators. Those who were killed did not end up simply as a body on the ground. Over the centuries, they developed a rich and complex society that included a fierce and terrifying warrior culture. Early Maori did not have a written history, so their arts and crafts took on the role of being a record of spiritual values and beliefs, as well as a historical family record. The Maori people of New Zealand came from eastern Polynesia in waves of canoes sometime between 1250 and 1300 AD. Maori ate those who they killed to consume their strength, using their bodily parts to craft weapons and tools. Tree carving on the Chatham Islands, ca 1900 by an unknown photographer. This design represents the Toki or Adze ("adz" in American English) which was used to carve the great canoes and also to cut and work timber for the fortresses or Pahs in which the Maori lived. Māori visual art of New Zealand consists primarily of four forms: carving, tattooing (ta moko), weaving, and painting. The knowledge of the stars is passed down to us to this day in the tukutuku weaving which adorns the walls of our carved and embellished whare (houses). The protruded tongue of the Haka dance had a terrifying meaning – it warned an enemy warrior that he could turn into food for his opponent if he died. The art and natural talent for Maori Carving is highly regarded in Maoridom. Carving was done in wood, bone, and stone, and carvings were used to create jewelry and decorate houses, fence poles, containers, and other objects. It was such an important tool in Maori life that it became regarded as a symbol of power, authority and good character. It was expected that all high ranking chiefs should be well versed in the art of woodcarving. Maori People's early contact with Europeans Early European contact with the Maori include Abel Tasman in 1642 and Captain James Cook in 1769. Ta moko is the art of traditional Māori tattooing, done with a chisel. The Maori were master carvers, and the moko was often created by literally carving the skin with a chisel. For more information on Maori carving designs see Maori Carving Designs or to see beautiful hand carved Maori Jewelry for sale go to The Bone Art Place. When it came to carving a large project like a Marae or Canoe it was of the utmost importance that a … They hunted native birds, including moa, the world’s largest bird, with a range of ingenious traps and snares. The Maori believe the tiki represents the unborn human embryo. The most valuable tiki’s were carved from greenstone and were handed down through generations and treasured possessions. 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