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Story: Shellfish

Tusk-shell necklace

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Tusk-shell necklace

Māori made necklaces (hangaroa) from tusk shells by threading them onto strings of flax fibre.

Using this item

Otago Museum

Reference: D51-379-1

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Shellfish – Chitons, tusk shells and rare classes, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/8034/tusk-shell-necklace (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 2 March 2009.