Tatua Hume (belt)

This tātua (man's woven belt) is made from fine muka (flax fibre) extracted from the harakeke (flax: Phormium tenax) plant. This example is decorated with dog hair. Tātua were worn around the waist and used to carry short-handled weapons such as mere and patu (short flat clubs).

Acquisition
This tātua was presented to the Saffron Walden Museum (England) in 1840. It was later acquired by English collector James Thomas Hooper, one of four prominent collectors of Polynesian artefacts in the United Kingdom.