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Encyclopedia ID 982

Whai

Also known as Maori string figures

Illustration pattern only. No free-licence photograph yet: can you suggest one?

Pattern making with a flax loop, accompanied by chants; traditionally played by all ages.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of New Zealand.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Deep Past and First Games (before about 3000 BCE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Pacific and Oceania.

Sources

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