This kurī, or Polynesian dog, carved from kānuka wood may be small but it is highly significant. It was found in Moncks Cave, Redcliffs, and dates from the early period of Māori settlement in Waitaha (Canterbury), between 600 and 700 years ago. It may have been worn hung around the neck as a pendant.

The kurī figure is remarkable because it’s Aotearoa New Zealand’s only known carving of a pre-European dog.

The ancestors of Māori brought kurī with them from Polynesia. They were kept as pets and used for hunting. After Pākehā arrived, kurī interbred with European breeds and were effectively extinct by the mid to late 19th Century.

You can see the kurī in Canterbury Museum’s Iwi Tawhito Gallery.

canterburymuseum.com