This very rare figure has a flattened head and muscular arms carved in relief, with hands folded across its belly. It has four fingers on each hand, and a round navel, buttocks and thighs, bent knees with round kneecaps and flat feet with five toes. It has a pointed chin, hooked nose, parted lips and a head of human hair. Carved designs simulate tattoo scars on the face and chest and the eyes are of inlaid haliotis shell.
One of only a few known-surviving examples, this object was donated from the Andersonian Collection in 1888. It was probably placed at the base of interior house posts as representatives of ancestors.
Maori figure with hair
Contributed by The Hunterian
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