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Walking Stick (Tokotoko), late 19th Century Māori culture; New Zealand, Polynesia Wood and ab…
Walking Stick (Tokotoko)
Walking Stick (Tokotoko), late 19th Century Māori culture; New Zealand, Polynesia Wood and ab…
Walking Stick (Tokotoko), late 19th Century Māori culture; New Zealand, Polynesia Wood and abalone shell; 33 1/4 × 2 × 1 5/8 in. 85.24.25 Gift of Dwight V. Strong

Walking Stick (Tokotoko)

ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-walking sticks & canes
Culture Māori
Datelate 19th Century
Made AtNew Zealand
MediumWood and abalone shell
Dimensions33 1/4 × 2 × 1 5/8 in. (84.5 × 5.1 × 4.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of Dwight V. Strong
Object number85.24.25
DescriptionThis object is an old, well-worn stick with the finial in the form of a Janus head with abalone shell eye inserts from the Maori of New Zealand. Three figures decorate the length of this highly carved example. Walking sticks are called Tokotoko in the Maori language, and were prized prestige objects, symbolizing potent and potentially evil power. The Tokotoko are symbols of authority and often are most commonly used as ceremonial objects in Marae, sacred meeting places, where the individual with the Tokotoko tells a story. Today, Tokotoko are presented to poets who win the New Zealand Poet Laureate award.
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