Ruatangaeo (Hafted adze)

Ruatangaeo. Hafted adze. Consists of carved rakau (wooden) handle and toki (stone adze blade). Toki carved from basalt stone lashed with finely braided puru akari (coconut sennit) to an intricately open-carved long and squared rakau (wooden) haft. The toki is carved and polished at the blade and left roughly pecked at the poll. Upper area of the poll is covered with a piece of shark skin between the toki and the lashing. K-form carving motifs (signature Mangaian carving motif) carved in repetition all along the rakau handle. The toki is dark in colour. The lashing and carved rakau haft are dark brown in colour.