Maori triton shell trumpet, puutaatara or pūtātara.
Conch Shell Trumpet, Pu Tatara, New Zealand Maori. Two kinds of trumpet were made by the Maori during the 18th and 19th centuries. First there were pu kaea, long and conical wooden instruments carved in two halves. Rarer were the pu tatara trumpets such as this example, made by unifying a carved wooden mouthpiece with a Triton shell (Charonia tritonis). The pointed end of the Triton was cut open and ground down to neatly fit the mouthpiece, and the two were bound together. The Triton is a very large subtropical predatory sea-snail, and so it was only ever found in the very northernmost parts of New Zealand, and then rarely. Such trumpets weren't used for music-making, but instead produce a baleful, flat note of great volume, ideal for carrying over large distances. In particular, they were used for tactical signalling in battle, and to alert people to surprise attacks during periods of warfare. Shell, wood. Mid- 19th Century. Formerly in the private collection of Mr K. A. Webster.
