**First Time At Auction**
North Pacific, Hawaii, ca. 19th century CE. A fine poi pounder, hand-carved from basalt and displaying mottled hues of ash grey and white. The fascinating implement features a conical form with a narrow, rounded handle and a broad, circular pounding head with a slightly convex face. Poi pounders, alongside adzes, were the most important stone tools in Polynesia and the Hawaiian Islands. The pounders, known locally as a "Ke'a Tuki Popoi," are used for pounding cooked taro root into poi, a staple of the islander diet. Taro root was steamed in an earthen oven, peeled using shells, and placed onto a slab of wood to be pounded. The pounded results were blended with water into a highly nutritious paste. Traditional calabash bowls were used as containers to hold poi mixtures, and traveling royalty were accompanied by their own poi maker, with his or her own poi-making implements like this one. Size: 2.125" in diameter x 3.875" H (5.4 cm x 9.8 cm); 5.375" H (13.7 cm) on included custom stand.
Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection
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#161988
Condition
Some light abrasions, commensurate with age and use. Otherwise, intact and excellent.