Newman. — On Maori Dredges. 139 



All this is the more necessary because the Maori of to-day knows 

 little of his forefathers' arts — knows very often neither their 

 names nor their uses. Indeed, curio-hunters have bought so 

 largely that the Maoris themselves retain scarcely any of these 

 old works, and to-day, at the close of 1904, the only chance for 

 a new collector is to ransack European shops, and occasionally 

 buy from a European collector. The few Englishmen who really 

 have a great knowledge of these things are dying out, and several 

 are letting their knowledge die with them. Ere it is lost I put 

 into this paper what I have learnt about these dredges. 



Rarity. 



Looking over Edge Partington's and other works describing 

 Polynesia, I find no trace of these dredges outside New Zealand. 

 They were invented by the Maoris, and were theirs solely, their 

 Polynesian kinsfolk knowing nothing of them. Roukakahi, 

 having been invented by Maoris, cannot be of an older date 

 than the advent of the canoes from Hawaiki, and doubtless 

 were not invented till long after — probably were invented within 

 the last two centuries. In New Zealand to-day they are amongst 

 the rarest of their works of art. I got one about two months 

 ago, and, strange to say, another about a week later. There is 

 one in the British Museum figured in Partington's book, one in 

 the Christchurch Museum, and two in the Auckland Museum ; 

 there are two in a shop, and Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Turnbull, 

 in their fine collections, have one each ; the Wellington Museum 

 also owns one : making the total number, including mine, eleven. 

 Of course there are others, but nevertheless they are rare. 



As Maoris now get plenty of animal food, and as their numbers 

 are smaller, the need for getting large supplies of fresh-water 

 muss3ls lesssns year by year : there are ample in shallow 

 waters. Elsion Best, that splendid worker and authority 

 upon all Maori works, says that shellfish in Tuhoeland are not 

 now eaten. These dredges, therefore, are now never used, and 

 no new dredges are made. After a diligent search amongst the 

 Maori literature of Angas, Colenso, White, Hamilton, &c, I have 

 found only very brief stray references to them. This is an 

 attempt to detail their history, their structure, and their uses, 

 and these are the first ever exhibited before this society. 



Name. 



The Maoris had two sorts of dredges, one with teeth, the other 

 without. The rake dredges were used in the shallow lakes 

 abounding in the hot-lakes district : these were called rouka- 

 kahi. The plain or toothless dredges were employed in Lake 

 Taupo, and were used to catch crayfish (koura). Best says 



