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LOT 2759
Oceanic Wooden Maori Walking Stick Tokotoko
NEW ZEALAND, EARLY 20TH CENTURY A.D.
36 7/8 in. (545 grams, 93.8 cm).
Carved with a seated tiki and two kneeling tiki figures, with inset abalone shell eyes and bands of linear and notch carving, the pear-shaped handle with a metal plaque inscribed: 'J.L. LD. N.Z. 1903'.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of Mr Carlos Bahamonde, Manchester, UK.
LiteratureCf. a similar walking stick or orator’s staff (tokotoko) in the Royal Trust collection, inv.no. RCIN 69421.
FootnotesA tokotoko is a traditional Māori carved ceremonial walking stick, and a symbol of authority and status for the speaker holding it. The tokotoko were beautifully carved. The most elaborate, like this one, shows a well-nourished, naked Paikea-type male figure lying flat, with his legs in the air to form a handle. The sticks have two distinctive female faces further down, one with a moko on the lips and the other with a moko kauae. All faces have pāua-shell eyes. The body of the tokotoko is intricately carved with a three-dimensional curved shape. It is less than a metre in length, pointing to its use as a ‘talking stick’ rather than an aid to walking.
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LOT 2759
Oceanic Wooden Maori Walking Stick Tokotoko
Estimate £500 - 700€580 - 810 (for guidance only)$680 - 950 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£200 (EUR 232; USD 270) +BP*
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Large Collection of Trade Beads with Collection Labels
19th-20th century A.D.Estimate: £20 - 30 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Each in a paper sleeve or polythene slip with penciled and inked notes including bead-type, findspot, usage notes and codes. 89 grams total, 3-35 mm
From the collection of Howard Gibbs. From a specialised collection of trade items and money formed in the 1970s. -
African Trade Bracelet Group
19th-20th century A.D.Estimate: £20 - 30 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising: spiral round-section bracelet of four coils; round-section ring with segmented outer face; ellipsoid type with butted ends; each with a handwritten collector's note. 360 grams total, 70-86 mm wide
Ex Robert Tye collection. From a specialised collection of trade items and money formed in the 1970s. Accompanied by three handwritten catalogue slips. -
Oceanic Honey-Coloured Wooden 'Gunstock' Sali War Club
Melanesia, Fiji, late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Comprising a round-section haft with a flanged butt, a lozenge-section head with a stepped beak on one face, panels of dense chip-carved geometric ornament to the rear. 1.61 kg, 95 cm
From the collection of Mr Carlos Bahamonde, Manchester, UK.
