Nguru (nose flute)

About this item

Title

Nguru (nose flute)

Content partner

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Collection

Te Papa Collections Online

Description

The nguru is a traditional nose flute that is unique to Aotearoa New Zealand. It has an up-turned snout end, into which the player exhales through one nostril, and two perforated holes, or 'note-stops' (wenewene), along the length of the stem, which produce melodious, low-sobbing notes that invoke the voice of Hineraukatauri, the female ancestral spirit of Māori music. Nguru can be made of wood, stone, or whale ivory (as in this example), and were often played at times of great sorrow, such a...

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Format

Image

Date created

early 19th century

URL

https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/325867

Related subjects

ivory / tooth / nguru / nose flutes / carving / Te Huringa I: 1800 - 1900 / New Zealand / Kenneth Athol Webster

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