I felt it necessary to look into the history of bone use in New Zealand Jewellery, where it originates from and where it sits today.
Traditional bone carving has a long history in New Zealand and the wider South Pacific – initially it was a means to create useful tools like bone fish hooks, needles for sewing, and combs called heru. Bone carving was also used to capture family history and to tell stories important to Māori. Over time this skill further evolved to produce very decorative pieces that were worn and displayed – and so the tradition of wearing bone jewellery developed and evolved. The types of bone used initially came from Moa as well as whales that had been stranded on the beaches. When Europeans settled they introduced livestock such as pig, deer, cattle and sheep, these were also used and are still used in bone work today.
image source: https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/41019/moa-bone-necklace
Being born in New Zealand means I was raised hearing legends of the demigod Maui. One of my favourites was the story of how he fished up the North Island using a fishhook made from the jawbone of his ancestors.
Maui New Zealand Fishing up Islands Te Ao Maori. Image source:https://www.tourmaui.com/maui-demigod/
In more recent years (1988) there was the travelling show of New Zealand Contemporary Jewellery under the title Bone Stone Shell. These works were toured internationally for 5 years and then donated to Te Papa museum. These works are a monumental part of New Zealand’s contemporary jewellery history and provide context to the work that many, including myself, make today.
John Edgar, whose work features in the exhibition, writes in the 1988 catalogue, “A growing awareness of our place in the South Pacific has led a number of New Zealand carvers and jewellers to use traditional materials in a contemporary way that acknowledges our bicultural heritage and redefines our values in the twentieth century. These materials and the objects made from them are our homage to the past, our amulets in the present and our treasures for the future.”
Stone stone, stone bone, stone shell, John Edgar, 1987. Image Source:https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/43304
Being born and raised in New Zealand around the cultural influence of Māori heritage and culture I identify with the significance they place in their bone jewellery. Being pākehā I am conscious that whilst I identify with the symbology of the Māori carving, it would be wrong for me to use the same language of symbols in my work.
My work is contextualised by my being a New Zealander and the rich history New Zealand has with bone carving and jewellery. I respectfully acknowledge the traditions of such a material whilst using it in my own unique manner. My work is heavily influenced by my life experiences of medical interventions and philosophy of the cyclical nature of life. With contemporary jewellery being an artform so connected to the body I sought out to use bone as my main material of exploration for my handshake journey. For me bone is the perfect material for trying to convey the messages I use in my art.
Feature image source:https://www.bonecraft.co.nz/blog/2018/3/21/why-in-new-zealand-is-it-traditional-to-bless-a-carving-before-it-is-worn