The adze is a tool found in many cultures dating back to the Stone Age. What differentiates the adze from the axe is that the blade is set at a right angle to the shaft.
The cutting stone is ground on a rock with the aid of water to reach the desired shape. Shaping the heads was a slow and laborious task and the stones were valuable and would be used as a currency or for barter. Suitable stone was difficult to come by in the highland regions of PNG, so adze were highly prized possessions.
Adze were traditionally used for cutting wood, digging, removing sago from palms, but also had a ceremonial function and were used for fashioning canoes, shields, drums and masks.
Height: 20" x Width: 1 7/8"
