While many of the collection items housed in the Whangārei Museum at Kiwi North have connections to the area, early settlers, their families or historic events, there are also artefacts that come from other parts
of the world. Among these articles is a miscellany of Polynesian and Melanesian ethnographic specimens which include three distinctive, hand-held personal objects.
The majority of the ethnography collection was accumulated over time by interested collectors and gifted to the Whangārei Borough during the early 20th century. It is believed the three separate fly whisks formed part of these initial donations, although their exact provenance has yet to be determined.
Fly whisks were being used around the world in Old Persia as early as 500BC, in Egypt, Africa and India as well the islands of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. Known in Japan as "hossu", the three fly whisks from Polynesia in the museum's collection referred to as "fue", became representative symbols of chiefly rank. They are an indication of a person's status epitomising the ultimate symbol of authority.
Said to resemble fly switches in appearance, fue are generally made from lengths of braided coir sennit (coconut husk fibre) attached to a wooden handle of equal length, but can also be manufactured using horsehair, human hair, bird feathers, coral beads and the tail hairs of elephants and yaks depending on the country of origin.
A variety of handles were incorporated, from plain with incised relief such as those in the museum's collection, to fine detailed carving combined with ivory inlay. Some pieces would be repurposed from weapons such as the shaft of a spear or a club handle, which would retain their mana or sacred energy of their previous use.
Fly whisks had a dual purpose of both mundane and sacred uses. As a practical tool, they were instrumental in keeping flies at bay and protecting food, but they were also employed as aids to orators during ritual aspects of traditional performances and deployed harmful spirits.