Story: Māori musical instruments – taonga puoro

In the 1950s and 1960s, when this poster was produced for use in schools, traditional instruments were regarded as belonging to a vanished past. Almost no-one then living still owned and played taonga puoro, although many older Māori retained clear memories of seeing and hearing some of these instruments in everyday use. Those oral accounts, together with scattered written records and collections of early instruments held in museums, provided the basis for the revival of taonga puoro in the late 20th century.