Rei Puta #6

About this piece

This Rei Puta is in the form of an ancient Polynesian form and is made from cow bone and decorated in a version of the waewae tupuna pattern.

Cow bone is a widely accessible material which has a close fine grain that can take intricate patterning and a fine polished finish. The use of this common material allows creativity but does not reduced the limited stocks of precious whale materials. Cow bone provides both an opportunity to explore new creative expressions as it is readily available but of course is considered to be of much less cultural value that native traditional materials.