Thai river scene in carved Wood
Gallery 2 - Asian Arts
Carved to hold taonga—treasured personal possessions such as pendants, combs, and prized huia feathers—waka huia carried meaning far beyond their practical use. Traditionally suspended inside a whare, they were carved on every visible surface, including the underside. This example is attributed to Māori carvers in Aotearoa/New Zealand and dated c. 1780–1860, although its precise age and provenance remain to be confirmed.
Waikoloa Museum Walkway's piece
This beautifully carved example is one of only an estimated 420 Waka Huia preserved in museums around the world, making it one of the rarest and most culturally significant pieces in the Waikoloa Museum Walkway.
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The extinct Huia bird
THE STORY
By the turn of the 20th Century, the Huia bird, never found in large numbers in New Zealand's forests, was on the brink of extinction. Its habitat was being crowded by humans and invasive predators took a heavy toll on the few birds that remained by 1900. The species' plight was exaggerated by the birds' dimorphism - physical or behavioral differences between males and females of the same species beyond their reproductive organs. The short, sharp beak of the male, used to break open wood, and the female's long, curved bill, needed to reach the insects and larvae inside, meant the two had to work together to survive. By 1909, the last of the Huia birds was gone.
