Māori carving : the art of recording Māori history.

Includes bibliographical references.

Pūrākau - a traditional story -- Whakairo -- Carving materials -- Carving tools -- How to read a carving -- Ngā Taonga - treasures -- Tikanga - Māori protocols -- Ngā Kaiwhakairo - the carvers -- Continuing the art of Whakairo.

"This photograph-rich book shows and describes the process of carving, covering the types of materials and tools used, the carving strokes and surface patterns and different regional styles. It shows the range of items carved from meeting houses to musical instruments, waka or canoes, storehouses, weapons and ceremonial items, such as boxes and staffs, and gives detailed information on the carving of wharenui or meeting houses - the epitome of the carver's art. Information is given on how to read and understand a carving, looking in depth at parts of carvings and what to look for in elements such as the head, arms and hands of figures and the surface patterns used. The patterns and body styles are described and accompanied by detailed photographs that make identification of the elements easy. This is part of a series of four books on aspects of Maōri culture. The others are: Geothermal Treasures: Māori Living with Heat and Steam; Māori Weaving: The Art of Creating Māori Textiles; and Marae: The Heart of Māori Culture"--Publisher information.