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• Hair from artefact (taonga)

Hair from artefact (taonga)

Artefacts, or taonga, may incorporate animal hairs, or animal skins. For example, Māori cloaks may be woven from plant material and incorporate either dog hair or dog skin. Hair samples from artefacts are rarely perfect specimens for identification purposes for a number of reasons. When attempting to identify the species from which a hair has come, an investigator needs to consider:

• The number of hairs in a sample from an artefact is usually limited, and therefore may not represent the range of hair features expected of a particular species.
• Hairs in an artefact may have come from a range of sources, for example more than one species of animal may be represented in a single artefact.
• Samples may only consist of hairs that have already detached from the artefact, and may be damaged, for example the root and/or tip of the hair is missing.
• The age of the artefact may mean the hair shaft is damaged, for example by wear and tear, dirt accumulation, insect attack or mould growth. This may alter the appearance of hair features such as the medulla and scales .
• Hairs from artefacts may also have been processed during the manufacture of the artefact. Processing steps such as washing, tanning, dyeing, spinning or weaving can alter hair dimensions (length and diameter) and the appearance of features such as the medulla and scales.

This database was developed as part of a Marsden-funded project on kurī, and involved the examination of kahu kurī (dog-skin cloaks).