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Mincing knife

TLF ID R1792

This is a mincing knife used in the New Zealand whaling industry in the mid-1800s. It is made from iron and has two wooden handles. It is 93 centimetres long and 9 centimetres wide.

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Educational details

Educational value

This asset demonstrates a type of technology used in the whaling industry in Australia and New Zealand in the mid-1800s - the mincing knife was used to cut the blubber into squares so that it could be boiled down in iron trypots to extract the oil, which was used mainly for the lubrication of machine parts and fuel for lamps.
It indicates that the whaling industry was operating in the mid-1800s in New Zealand waters - whaling was New Zealand's first significant industry and an important point of early contact between Mäori and Europeans.
It illustrates that the rendering process in the mid-1800s was physically very demanding - the knife was used by a single person.

Topics Tools Whale hunting

Other details

Contributors

Contributor

Name: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Organization: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Description: Content provider
URL: http://www.tepapa.govt.nz

Name: Education Services Australia
Organization: Education Services Australia
Description: Data manager

Name: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Organization: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Publisher

Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
Organization: Education Services Australia Ltd
Description: Publisher
Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
URL: http://www.esa.edu.au

Resource metadata contributed by

Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
Organisation: Education Services Australia Ltd
Address: AUSTRALIA
URL: www.esa.edu.au

Access profile

Colour independence
Device independence
Hearing independence

Learning Resource Type

Image

Rights

© Education Services Australia Ltd and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 2013, except where indicated under Acknowledgements