New Zealand; with shell inlay; accompanied by a handwritten document stating "This carving is a near copy of particular adze said to have brought over in the Tainia[?] canoe by H[illegible], the captain of the Tainia. It is more intricately and elaborately carved but it is essentially ancient Maori motif. It is entirely hand carved from a very old swamp ka[illegible] tree decorated with Pa[illegible] shell insets. The blade is [illegible] Ka[illegible]-Ka[illegible] type New Zealand nephrite (greenstone) and is a particularly fine example of the ancient Maori blade. The joint is decorated with K[illegible] (Maori dog) hair and feathers from a very old Maori cloak [illegible] with the under wing feathers of the Ka[illegible] (parrot) bird native only to New Zealand finished off with the yellow feather of the native warbler. Very few of the [illegible] Toki-pou-Tangatata are left or are being carved in New Zealand today and the ownership of such a weapon is not to be abused or taken lightly as they were the most Tapu (sacred) of all the ancient Maori artifacts. This carving is guaranteed as genuine Maori carving entirely hand carved as is the green stone blade. [signed] Patiriki Rorapara [?]" 15 1/2 x 9 1/2 x 2 1/2 in. (39.4 x 24.1 x 6.4 cm.)