148. FLYWHISK HANDLE, AUSTRAL ISLANDS tahiri ra'a wood Height 17.5 cm Whisk handles of this type were made on Rurutu and Tubuai in the Austral Islands. The lower section, which is now missing, would have been bound with twisted coir. The attachment of pearl shell on some examples known to have been collected in the 18th century has led to the suggestion that they functioned as rattles. Tupaia, the Tahitian priest and navigator, who accompanied Cook to New Zealand on the first voyage, sketched two girls dancing with what appears to be a whisk in each hand. At least one example was collected on Cook's first voyage and on its return to England was sketched by John Frederick Miller.