Pieces of kauri gum unpolished with rough uneven surfaces.
Kauri gum formed from resin in the bark. The gum is generally found in the upper part of the North Island. Gum was used by Maori for chewing, starting fires and moko. By the 1890s twenty thousand people were involved in the gum industry. Gum digging was extremely hard work.
Available with this object a copy of the school book 'Gumdiggers of the North by Bert Hingley'
max dimension: 200mm
subject area: Social Science
specific themes: Industry
handling collection number: HC76