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The whaling industry left many lasting signs of contact between Māori and other peoples. This whale’s tooth, showing a Māori chief with a moko, was carved by N. Wolfe of South Carolina, USA. This kind of carving, known as scrimshaw, was a popular pastime among whaling crews.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum
Reference: Don Grady, Sealers and whalers in New Zealand waters. Auckland: Reed Publishers, 1986, p.145
by Don Grady
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