Pounamu, pendant; Oceania, New Zealand, South Island, The Catlins; CT2017_1_L
Pounamu, pendant
About this object
A large piece of polished pounamu of irregular triangular shape. This piece might have been used as personal ornamentation, likely a neck pendant given its size and the perforation at the extremity.
The stone was donated to the museum in 2017 by Max Harrison, and it has been in the Harrison family since it was found by his grandparents at False Island in the early 1900s.
In his 1959 publication ‘From Moa-Hunter to Classic Māori in Southern New Zealand’, Les Lockerbie reports that the site at False Island was occupied until A.D. 1735 ± 50 years. The site was likely to be an extensive fishing-fowling economy as there is little evidence of active moa hunting. Most refuse and artefacts revealed by excavations are connected with fish and fishing such as fish bones, mussel, paua and cockle shells of exceptional size, and the bones of small birds.
L. Lockerbie (1959). From Moa-Hunter to Classic Māori in Southern New Zealand.
A.D. 1500 - A.D. 1800
Place MadeOceania, New Zealand, South Island, The Catlins
Place NotesFalse Island, The Catlins
Subject and Association Keywords Medium and MaterialsPounamu, greenstone nephrite.
Techniquepolished
MeasurementsApproximately 15cm x 13cm
Credit LineDonated by the Harrison family.
Object Type Object numberCT2017_1_L
Copyright LicenceThis object is from
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