Story: Te tāhere manu – bird catching

Cooking birds

Cooking birds

In this sketch by carver and artist Cliff Whiting, birds are being cooked over a fire, and their fat collected in tahā (gourds). Usually a number of spits rested on the horizontal rods and were turned when necessary. The birds were then preserved in their own fat. The containers holding the birds, tahā huahua, were often traded with other tribes.

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Learning Media Ltd
Reference: Te Wharekura 32. Wellington: Learning Media, 1978.
Pencil sketch by Cliff Whiting

This material is reproduced by permission of the publishers, Learning Media Ltd, PO Box 3293, Wellington, New Zealand.

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How to cite this page:

Basil Keane, 'Te tāhere manu – bird catching - Seasons', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/11963/cooking-birds (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Basil Keane, published 24 Sep 2007