The primary tool for cutting, chopping, forming and shaping was the stone adze.
Imagine a world with no knives or cutting blades made out of metal. This was the world of the Hawaiians. On a grand scale the adze was used for cutting trees and shaping canoes. On a smaller scale, the adze was used to carve idols, shape calabash bowls and cut plant material.
Hawaiian adzes have been identified from almost two feet down to an inch.
Adzes were made out of dense basalt. The finest were made at the Mauna Kea quarry on the Island of Hawaii. This preserved area shows evidence of large-scale quarry, which had permanent workers. Mauna Kea black adzes are among the most prized. Their cutting edge could be razor sharp.
The Hawaiian Adze is unique among Pacific cultures and is called a hafted adze. The adze would be fastened to a special handle (the haft, left) that would enable the user to swing it in a cutting motion. Sometimes the adze would be fastened at the end of a stick and used like a chisel (below). The adze was among the Hawaiian’s most important stone implement.
