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Story: Māori smoking, alcohol and drugs – tūpeka, waipiro me te tarukino

Contemplative pipe

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Contemplative pipe

This young Māori man, with his clay pipe and thoughtful gaze, was painted in 1847. Whalers and sealers introduced Māori to pipes, which were the standard way of using tobacco for many decades after first contact.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: NON-ATL-C-0138-3

by Leopold Verguet

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Megan Cook, Māori smoking, alcohol and drugs – tūpeka, waipiro me te tarukino – Māori use of tobacco, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/39861/contemplative-pipe (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Megan Cook, published 3 December 2012.