Story: Te tāhere manu – bird catching

Bird spear points

Bird spear points

Tara, or bird spear points, were made from bone, hardwood, pounamu (greenstone) or, in some cases, the spine of a stingray. The two on the left are bone, while the one on the right is wood. It is said that the tara kāniwha (barbed spear point) originated when Taranga told her son Māui, the legendary demigod, about it.

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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Reference: MA_B.000848

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How to cite this page:

Basil Keane, 'Te tāhere manu – bird catching - Spears, rods, hands and traps', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/11988/bird-spear-points (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Basil Keane, published 24 Sep 2007