For early Maori, art was inseparable from daily life, whether it was the pattern on a sculpted spade handle or the magnificently carved prow of a war canoe. Julie Paama-Pengelly traces the evolution of art and design in historic Maori culture and brings that art to life, focusing on four major disciplines: Weaving and fibre arts: includes tukutuku, kitemaking, basketry, netting and clothing; Painting and pigmentation: includes rock drawing and painting wooden objects; Sculpture and carving: includes stone, bone, wood carving and patterning; Architecture and structural arts: includes villages, storage and meeting houses, burial structures and bone containers. Chapters review the various art forms within each discipline and identify the source elements. Illustrated tables outline development periods, design conventions, and common figurative elements and motifs that distinguish Maori art and design. This book will be of great interest to readers who are new to the subject as well as to students and experts