- IJ
188: The Mangamahu Artifact
Below are three unusual items from the Whanganui area. The Kohi Gorge cave carving, the most unusual tribrach, and the unique makaki found nearby that dates to about 1200AD.
Not far from all three locations, the below implement was also found... This one fascinates me because it too is unlike any normal Maori implement. It's these unusual ones that tell a different story.
It is missing for it does not appear in any museum collection, but may yet be still held in a private one. Some say it looks like it belongs near the sea as tool for prying shellfish off rocks. In fact it was found deep in the Mangamahu Bush some 35km from the coast. It was found by someone living in Wanganui in about 1905 and was supposedly acquired by the Wanganui Museum (as it was then)! Where is it now?
It is made from polished black stone (possibly of the same material the above makaki). It is a very long 47cm (18½ inches) in length and 7cm (2¾ inches) in breadth at the widest part, and weighs almost 1.2kgs. It is well made and lends itself well to the grip; its shape is unique, and no definite suggestion as to origin or use can be made.
However, we believe it to be a uniquely Pre-polynesian weapon just like the one below which was found in Okiwi in the Marlborough region (and also does not show in any museum) - just know you are not being shown all of this country's pre-history - as yet.
