Fern-root Beater “Patu Aruhe”
Maori people, New Zealand, d. 18th/19th c.
Carved wood
21” l x 3½” w (53.34 x 8.89 cm)
Price: $1,800
An early example of a Maori fern-root beater (patu aruhe), a pestle fashioned chiefly from hardwood (especially kohl, maire, and manuka) and closely resembling a Maori war club save in its rounded body. To prepare it for human consumption, a fern root would be roasted over an open fire before being placed atop a large stone and beaten with a pestle such as a patu aruhe (Beattie 1994: 117ff, 295, 548).
