Name/Title
Aotearoa (New Zealand) Waka BailerEntry/Object ID
MK_0327Description
This contemporary Māori hardwood canoe (waka) bailer reflects the enduring seafaring and artistic traditions of the Māori people of New Zealand. Traditionally shaped, its surface is decorated with swirling patterns akin to those tattooed on warriors and carved on ancestral sculptures, including the canoe prows and sterns also represented in the Mauna Kea’s collection.
Crafted with precision and reverence, the bailer’s elongated handle features projecting elements intricately carved with flowing curvilinear motifs. Its form is notably phallic in character, a feature thought to generate protective powers. The bailer is further adorned with iridescent shell inlays, enhancing its visual appeal and underscoring the Māori connection to both land and sea.
As a functional yet symbolic object, this canoe bailer bridges the practical and the sacred, embodying the legacy of Māori seafaring life. It's visual similarity to the hotel's New Guinea canoe bailer also reveals shared affinities with other Pacific island cultures and their ocean-centred lives.
This treasured piece has been in the Mauna Kea’s collection since 1965, when Laurance Rockefeller developed the hotel, and was very recently restored and placed back on display following a long period in storage. Longtime guests of the hotel would have previously seen this place on display on the Main Tower's 7th Floor, many decades ago.Made/Created
Place
Country
Aotearoa (New Zealand)Continent
OceaniaDimensions
Height
23 inLength
11-1/2 inLocation
Room
2nd Floor Art Storage Room* Untyped Location
2nd Floor Kohala EndFloor
2nd FloorBuilding
Beach WingArea
8th Floor AtriumFloor
8th FloorBuilding
Main TowerRoom
2nd Floor Art Storage Room* Untyped Location
2nd Floor Kohala EndFloor
2nd FloorBuilding
Beach WingFloor
7th FloorBuilding
Main Tower