Aotearoa: Māori food storage customs

These food storage containers, called Pātaka, which are set on the top of poles, are a form of storage in the Māori culture. The small containers you see in our village would be used to store fishing nets, weapons, prized ornaments, etc. However, larger units as shown in the middle of the picture above were designed to store food.

Snaring was a seasonal activity done in early winter when birds were fat. The Kererū (pigeons) were plentiful. Birds were preserved in hinu (fat), placed in tahā (gourds) and then stored in a Pātaka. Other foods were preserved by drying, fermenting and sealing in fat. Fish, prepared sweet potato and seeds were the most popular stored foods.

Take a look at our garden where we grow kumara (sweet potatoes) and flax. One of our Hau Kāinga (hosts) will be happy to share more information on the planting, care and use of our typical crops.