carving

This is a rare example of a Māori feeding funnel or ‘korere’, believed to be from the Northland region of New Zealand. The Korere were used to feed men of high rank when they were prevented or restricted from touching food themselves.

This example is made of wood and carved with interlacing swirls. In Maori culture the art of wood carving was known as ‘whakairo.

The korere was used during the ceremony of ‘tā moko’ which was central to the Māori way of life. Unlike modern tattooing which involves the piercing of the skin with needles, this process might better be described as scarification. Using a knife or chisel (uhi) hit with a mallet to carve the skin, the resulting wounds would then be coloured with pigments. These were kept in a box known as an ‘oko’ and would be passed down as heirlooms These moko would traditionally have displayed the ‘whakapapa’ or genealogy of the person including their rank, their parent’s ancestry (Father on the left, Mother on the right) marital status, profession and prestige.

The process of ‘tā moko’ was believed to be representative of the God’s work and it was believed the God’s would be present during the procedure.

Because of this there were many restrictions on the individual, including the touching of food.

During the ceremony the man and the food were both considered full of power and so contact between them was “tabu”. This is possibly where the word “taboo” originates from”.

This object also fulfilled practical as well as ritual functions; tattooing of the face would cause excessive swelling and this would enable both feeding and drinking. Within the Māori culture anybody with an expertise is known as ‘tohunga’ with tattooists therefore known as ‘tohunga tā moko’

It came into the collection in 1964, a gift from the sailors’ home and is understood to date circa 1700-1800’s. It has been analysed and is now thought to be of an age that it could have been amongst the objects brought back by Captain James Cook in the 18th century. In Maori culture chiefs and other high-ranking men are suffused with ‘mana’ or spiritual power which increases during the tattooing process. In addition to this the head is considered to be the most sacred part of the body. It is ‘tapu’ (forbidden) for food to touch the lips of these powerful men during this process, therefore special feeding funnels were needed to feed them. These would also serve a practical purpose as tattooing could cause excessive swelling and the process could take many hours to complete. ‘Ta Moko’ is the art of facial and body tattooing and ‘Moko’ is the product. All ‘Moko’ are different and are an expression of individual identity, status and authority. Ancestry is indicated on each side of the face. The left side is usually the father’s line and the right side indicates the mother’s ancestry. If one side of the person’s ancestry is not of rank, then there would be no design on that side.

The process involves gouging and channelling the recipient’s skin, followed by the application of blue or black coloured pigments. The skin is pierced by tapping a bone-headed, adze-shaped tool with a small hammer. ‘Ta Moko’ translates to ‘to tap or to strike’. Over time chisels with straight cutting edges literally ‘carved’ the skin into textured grooves. This method is borrowed directly from traditional wood-carving techniques. The curvilinear designs of ‘moko’ can be linked to the spiral motifs seen on carved wooden objects such as the feeding funnel. The art of wood carving is known as ‘Whakairo’. The myth behind the art of tattooing tells of a Maori warrior, Mataora, which means “Face of Vitality”. He falls in love with Niwareka, the princess of the underworld. She came to the surface and married him, but he treated her badly and she returned to her father’s kingdom. Mataora was filled with guilt and followed her. He arrived with war paint smudged on his face and was taunted and mocked by her family for his bedraggled state. Eventually he won her back and her father offered to teach him the art of tattooing. On their return to the human world they brought back the new art form. In recent years there has been a resurgence in the art of tattooing. The Maori revival may be linked to assertions of ethnicity, identity and indigenous rights. Maori designs are seen as cultural property and are considered a sacred art.