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Beyond Music: The Tales of Maori Musical Instruments

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Beyond Music: The Tales of Maori Musical Instruments
"Pumoana Karoro" by Brian Flintoff, master carver. Shell trumpets are commonly called putatara. In the past, putatara were made from a specific kind of shell. When Brian Flintoff uses other shells, he calls his shell trumpets pumoana. Courtesy of Brian Flintoff
Lorraine Ferrier
Updated:
“It was in the night, that the Gods sang the world into existence. From the world of light, into the world of music,” said Ngai Tahu tribal leader Matiaha Tiramorehu in 1849, as he relayed the Maori creation story. 
Tiramorehu, of course, said the words in Maori: Kei a te Po te timatatanga o te waiatatanga mai a te Atua. Ko te Ao, ko te Ao marama, ko te Ao tu roa.
Lorraine Ferrier
Lorraine Ferrier
Author
Lorraine Ferrier writes about fine arts and craftsmanship for The Epoch Times. She focuses on artists and artisans, primarily in North America and Europe, who imbue their works with beauty and traditional values. She's especially interested in giving a voice to the rare and lesser-known arts and crafts, in the hope that we can preserve our traditional art heritage. She lives and writes in a London suburb, in England.
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