A Māori short club, mere, New Zealand

A Māori short club, mere, New Zealand

greenstone, or pounamu, of kawakawa type, with an engraved silver plaque on chain, hallmarked London 1891, which reads This Mere pounamu bears the historic name / of "Aotearoa" Paora Tuhnere Chief of the Ngati-Whatna / tribe of Maoris attended by many followers in a War Canoe visited / Admiral Tryon on board the H.M.S Nelson. Ohiwa when at Auckland New Zealand / Jan 1^st 1885 and formally presented him with the "Mere" / For six generations as measured by their Chiefs own genealogy / it has been in their possession. it had been more than once / buried with the remains of his ancestors in accordance with old Maori custom / when the Admiral asked him / "But what will your successors say when they are told / that you gave away that which had been handed down by / your ancestors for you and your tribe to preserve? / "The Chief replied at once / "When they are told that it was given by Paora Tuhnere / to a big Sea Chief sent out to us by our "Great Mother" / the Queen they will say Paora Tuhnere did well", on a bespoke metal and ebonised wood stand

37cm. long