The Sir Cyril Newall New Zealand Collection

LOT 01

This tokotoko (ceremonial orator’s staff ) is carved from whale bone (parāoa) and features paua shell inlays set into the eyes of carved ancestral figures. The shaft is extensively decorated with intricate whakairo (carving), incorporating flowing spirals, interlocking figures, and whakapapa narratives. The work demonstrates exceptional craftsmanship, consistent with the Tairāwhiti School of Carving. 87cm long.

The stylistic language of this tokotoko is strongly aligned with the School of Raharuhi Rukupō, the preeminent carver of Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki in the 19th century. While direct authorship by Rukupō himself is unknown, the carving techniques, stylistic features, and symbolic content all point to creation by Rukupō or a carver trained directly in his hand.

Historical Provenance:
Gifted to the Governor-General Sir Cyril Newall, in the early 1940s, likely at the Ngarimu Victoria Cross Investiture Hui at Ruatoria.

The piece very closely resembles the Rukupō whale bone tokotoko carried by Eastern Māori MP Wi Pere when he visited Queen Victoria in London, 1897. Most recently exhibited at Te Papa's Ko Rongowhakaata: The Story of Light and Shadow 2022. This tokotoko shares many key features with the Wī Pere tokotoko, a known work attributed directly to Rukupō. Both taonga are carved from whale bone, feature paua shell eyes in ancestral figures, use narrative carving, where each figure embodies elements of whakapapa and tribal history and employ the fine surface patterning and flowing, interwoven forms that are hallmarks of the Tairāwhiti School of Carving.

Condition:
One of the ten pieces of Paua shell inlay is missing, there is also a missing piece from the end of the handle, likely a further piece of Paua shell inlay.