Hands on Tauranga offers students stimulating and original learning opportunities with real museum objects that support the New Zealand curriculum at primary and secondary school level.
A set of three toki (one toki is now part of our Māori gardening tools) https://www.handsontauranga.co.nz/products/taputapu-mara-maori-maori-gardening-tools-hc37/
Toki : adze or axe
1. Type 2A, stone adze made of black argillite. Surface markings show evidence of flaking and bruising techniques on upper side, smooth underside and cutting edge.
2. A type 2A stone adze, quadrangular in shape and very smooth with symmetrical sides. No signs of flaking. There is a chip on the cutting edge lefthand side.
3. Type 2 stone adze speckled marble green serpentine stone (Dolerite) in form with curved cutting edge, very smooth with no sign of flaking. Weight 575grams.
The most important tools for the early Maori were toki. These stone adze heads were lashed to a wooden handle and used in working wood, including canoe building.The majority were made from basalt or other hard rock, such as adzite.
Pānuitia ētahi atu kōrero i konei / Read more information here : https://teara.govt.nz/en/kohatu-maori-use-of-stone/page-1
date: 1700
subject area: Māori, Social Science, Technology, The Arts
subject themes: Aotearoa, New Zealand, Māori, Tools
handling collection number: HC43
why not get your hands on these...
Māhē and pā kāhawai (sinker and fish hook) HC84
Teaching and Learning activity ideas - All About Toki
Note: Resources needed for the following activities are not provided by Hands on Tauranga.
These ideas below have been written with the help of Co-Pilot.
Materials Investigation: Examine real or replica toki kōhatu. Discuss the types of stone used and why they were chosen.
Tool-Making Techniques: Watch a video or demonstration of traditional stone tool-making. Talk about the science behind shaping and sharpening stone.
Natural Resources Map: Create a map showing where different types of stone were sourced in Aotearoa. Link this to Māori trade and travel.
Toki in Daily Life: Explore how toki were used for building, carving, and ceremony. Compare everyday toki with ceremonial ones.
Whakapapa of a Toki: Create a story or timeline showing the life of a toki—from stone in the earth to a tool in use.
Taonga Talk: Discuss why toki kōhatu are considered taonga (treasures). What values and meanings do they carry?
