Tī (cabbage tree) was an important food source for Māori. The kōata (part of the stem) was broken and cooked to form kōuka, a food similar to an artichoke heart. Māori planted the trees in groves to attract kererū (New Zealand pigeons), and caught the birds in snares made from the leaves.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Reference: Philip Simpson, Dancing leaves: the story of New Zealand's cabbage tree, tī kōuka. Christchurch: Canterbury University Press, 2000, p.150.
by Philip Simpson
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