Nga Tohu Tawhito
Early Maori Ornaments
by Nigel Prickett
David Bateman, 1999, softcover, 32pp

Little has been published on early Maori Ornaments (jewellery), so this is book is a treasure for those interested in history, archaeology, and ethnic design.

Nigel Prickett is Curator of Archaeology at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.  Among his publications on the Maori and European archaeology of New Zealand is a study of twin-lobed pendants, which are introduced in this book.

The book covers:

• History of Maori ornaments
• Maori Pacific origins
• Raw materials
• The ornaments
• Ivory or bone whale tooth forms
• Whale tooth forms in serpentine
• Bone and ivory reels
• Serpentine reels
• Other reels
• Discs
• Twin-lobed pendants
• Chevroned pendants
• Shells and teeth
• Nga tohu tawhito

Beautiful colour photos give a taste of the early Maori jewellery that can be seen in New Zealand museums.