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value of its feathers, leading to their often being regarded as ‘tapu’. 195 By means of barter, these
feathers spread throughout the greater Maori community. However, as European influences took
over, the value of the feather was eroded and Maori of lesser rank also wanted, and ultimately
acquired, huia feathers. The increasing interest in the rare huia was also noted by Reischek: “Die
Huia (Heteralocha) sind schon äusserst selten, und da ihr Wohngebiet sich nur auf wenige Meilen
erstreckt und der Huiaschwanz bei den Wilden als Rangzeichen gilt, so wird ihm eifrig
nachgestellt, auch von den Europäern, da der Pelz einen guten Preis erzielt.” 196 In the early
twentieth century having a huia feather in one’s hatband even peaked as a fashion statement
among European men after the Duke of Cornwall and York received this honour from one of his
Maori guides during his official visit in 1901 on account of his being a ‘great chief’, in doing so
hastening the extinction of the huia six years later. 197 Phillipps writes: “Huia feathers were a sign
of the high prestige of the wearer and were reserved for use at special ceremonies. Gradually all
Maoris who considered they had any claim to chiefly rank desired at least one feather to wear as
occasion demanded.” 198 In Reischek’s case, Tawhiao’s huia tail was presented to him in a
‘Paparaukura’, or ceremonial box, by the King’s advisor 199 and entourage. 200 In his original
diaries Reischek states the following: “Ein Maori welcher einen Huia Schweif trägt ist der Ariki
erste Häuptling des Stammes, oder der König […]. Es ist die höchste Ehre, was ein Häuptling
einen erweisen kann, wenn er einen mit einem Huia Schwanze oder Federn präsentiert wobei er
seinen Rang an denjenigen überträgt [D]ieser Schwanz wurde mir im Namen Tawhio [sic] des
195 The huia was also traditionally viewed as a “bird of omens”, in which a “single feather was worn as a talisman
against bad luck” (Murdoch Riley, Maori Bird Lore: An Introduction. Paraparaumu: Viking Sevenseas NZ, 2001,
106).
196 Reischek, “Fauna Neuseelands”, 5. Buller, for example, reports in 1888 that a group of eleven Maori had collected
a combined haul of 646 huia skins within the space of a month between Manawatu Gorge and Akitio (Buller, Birds of
New Zealand, vol. 1, 14).
197 Causes for its extinction have been attributed to excessive hunting and collecting, as well as habitat destruction
and predation. (See W. J. Phillipps, The Book of the Huia. With a foreword by R. A. Falla. Christchurch: Whitcombe
& Tombs, 1963, 37-47; Margaret Orbell, Birds of Aotearoa: A Natural and Cultural History. Auckland: Reed, 2003,
56-59; Riley, Maori Bird Lore, 102-6; Rod Morris and Hal Smith, Wild South: Saving New Zealand’s Endangered
Birds. With a foreword by Sir David Attenborough. Auckland: TVNZ in association with Century Hutchinson, 1988,
31-36.)
198 Phillipps, Book of the Huia, 38f.
199 Reischek incorrectly refers to Te Whitiora as Tawhiao’s uncle.
200 In Maori culture “special boxes, usually elaborately carved, were set apart […] as repositories for treasured
feathers and ornaments to be worn on ceremonial occasions” (Phillipps, Book of the Huia, 43). In such situations the
term most popularly used for the ceremonial boxes which housed huia tail feathers was “waka huia”. Riley describes
one as a “long narrow carved box, which was half-rounded in shape, with a lid fitting neatly on the top, but not
having hinges” (Riley, Maori Bird Lore, 105). Although there is no mention as to whether the box in question was of
the same importance as a ‘waka huia’, the respective scene in Sterbende Welt, nevertheless, gives the appearance of a
ceremony.
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