Maori Puratino and other instruments
Taonga Puoro: Traditional Māori Musical Instruments
Taonga puoro are traditional Māori musical instruments with deep spiritual and cultural significance, often revered as sacred. These instruments are closely linked to atua (gods and spirits) and are treated with the utmost respect. According to Māori legend, Hineraukatauri, the goddess of music, transformed into a moth to stay close to her beloved flute, never to be separated from it. Each taonga puoro is given a unique, personal name, underscoring its individual importance.
Flutes (Nguru) were among the most widely played taonga puoro, serving many purposes: accompanying dances, songs, and spoken word; assisting in conception and childbirth; providing healing and mourning during death rituals; aiding in hunting and signaling; and offering entertainment. However, with the arrival of Europeans, the knowledge and use of taonga puoro almost vanished. Since the 1990s, a revival of these instruments has occurred, led by both Māori and Pākehā musicians, carvers, and scholars.
Putorino: The Dual-Voice Flageolet of Polynesia
The putorino is a traditional Maori musical instrument, often referred to as a large flageolet. Made from two hollowed pieces of wood, joined with gum-like resin and bound with flax or finely split root cords, the putorino has two distinct voices. The earlier versions, around 30 to 60cm in length, are thin-walled with minimal carvings, while later, smaller versions have thicker walls and more intricate surface designs.
The larger end of the putorino serves as the mouthpiece, often featuring tiki-head carvings. The instrument is known for its dual-voice ability, with the male voice produced through the wider end, and the female voice through the side-blown opening, resembling a flute. The male voice, typically louder, was used for summoning, while the female voice produced a softer, crying sound often used in ceremonial contexts.
The putorino is closely associated with Hine Raukatauri, the Māori goddess of flutes, and its shape is thought to resemble the cocoon of the casemoth, a small native insect.
Putorino: Works of Art
Maori putorino is due to it’s connection with the spirit world was often extremely finely carved. there is often a face of a spririt carved in the centre so that the musician would be blowing into the spirits mouth. The value as an collectable art object is proportional to the detail of the carving and the power of the faces portrayed. An old Putorino is extremely thin walled and carved with great precision. The two halves are made from the same piece of timber and should fit precicely together. The two halves should be bound back together with flax string.
Maori Nguru
The nguru is a traditional nose flute unique to Aotearoa New Zealand. It features an upturned snout end, where the player exhales through one nostril, producing sound through two perforated holes, or “note-stops” (wenewene), along the length of the flute. These note-stops create soft, low, sobbing tones that are said to invoke the voice of Hineraukatauri, the female ancestral spirit of Māori music. The nguru can be crafted from various materials, including wood, stone, or whale ivory (as seen in this example). It was often played during times of mourning, such as tangihanga (funeral ceremonies), to express grief and honor the departed.
Maori Nguru as art objects
Bisides perhaps Moari Tattoo funnels Nguru are some of the most intricately carved of all Maori objects. there are contemporary maori carvings and there are also fakes made to look older than they are especially in whaletooth.
Whales teeth became far more accessible after European whalers started visiting New Zealand in the mid 19th Century. Whalers including maori whaling crew traded Sperm whale teeth and jaw pans which lead to an availability of whalebone and whale tooth carving. These whale materials were used to make Kotiate and wahaika hand clubs , hair combs and nose flutes
Koauau: Traditional Māori Mouth Flute
The koauau is a traditional Māori mouth flute, typically made from native woods with a soft inner pith burned out using hot embers. These flutes often feature three note-stops on top and one on the bottom, commonly inlaid with paua shell. The three upper note-stops are named Maui-mua, Maui-roto, and Maui-taha, each representing one of the brothers from the legendary Polynesian hero Maui.
In some instances, koauau were made from bone, often the arm or thigh bone of a deceased family member or enemy, or from the wing bone of the toroa (albatross). Koauau crafted from the bones of enemies were believed to produce the sweetest tones. Generally, the koauau was reserved for high-ranking individuals within the tribe and, when not in use, was worn around the neck as a prized possession. As art objects it is those of intensely carved wood that are the most collectable.
Pūtatara: Traditional Māori Triton Shell Trumpets
The pūtatara is a traditional Māori trumpet made from conch or triton shells, primarily used for signaling. The earliest pūtatara were around 10 inches long, including the wooden, often carved, mouthpiece. These shells were typically sourced from New Zealand’s native conch shells (Charonia lampas rubicunda), although occasionally triton shells(Triton australis) were used when they washed up on the northern beaches.
By the mid-19th century, larger, more colorful shells from European trade were adopted, and the Māori began fitting them with proportionally larger mouthpieces. The pūtatara was not just a musical instrument but a symbol of chiefly statusand power, passed down as family heirlooms.
The sound of the pūtātara served various important functions in Māori culture. It was used as a signaling device to warn of danger, announce the arrival of dawn, communicate with Māori gods, declare the planting of crops, herald the birth of a child, or mark the arrival of individuals at the marae (the area in front of the meeting house) for formal training. These sacred shells were rarely found naturally in Aotearoa and were typically discovered washed up on the beaches. They were regarded as a gift from Tangaroa, the god of the sea.
The creation of the pūtatara involved carefully cutting the ends of the shell and fitting a wooden mouthpiece to amplify the sound, turning it into an effective signaling device. Reserved for chiefs, the pūtatara was often used in ceremonial contexts or to summon people, connecting its use to ancestral heritage and Māori craftsmanship.
Recommended reading
All images in this article are for educational purposes only.
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which was not specified by the copyright owner.