Carving, whether on wood, bone or stone, was an essential part of the Maori culture as it served as its written language and told tribal histories in pre-European times before the Maori language was translated and written by the European settlers. Maori carvers were held in high esteem as the historians and master craftsmen of the tribes. The tribal stories and how to carve them were handed down from generation to generation, as were the artefacts that contained these histories. What we refer to as Maori Bone Carving Jewellery today came from more humble and practical origins. Because bone was more robust than wood but easier to work than ‘pounamu’ (New Zealand Greenstone or Jade), bone was carved into implements to use in everyday life.
You can't get any more 'Kiwi' than this jewellery. I guess making jewellery runs in the whanau (family) my Uncle and Great Uncle are both Maori Bone Carvers.
Here's an article about how making implements became the maori carving bone jewellery we see today.
