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Story: Te Tau Ihu tribes

Scrimshaw

Image
Scrimshaw

This piece of scrimshaw (carved whalebone) is an example of the interaction between European whalers and Māori tribes that developed as whaling stations and trading posts became established in the Nelson–Marlborough area. This contact coincided with the new allocation of tribal land established by Te Rauparaha and his allies, as they conquered the area in the 1820s and 1830s.

Using this item

National Library of Australia, Rex Nan Kivell Collection

Reference: NK827

Permission of the National Library of Australia must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Hilary Mitchell and John Mitchell, Te Tau Ihu tribes – Coming of the Pākehā, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/551/scrimshaw (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Hilary Mitchell and John Mitchell, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 March 2017.