Just to be clear , that white guy is a collector and hes holding what to me looks like a "Patu". These heads were sometimes traded for guns which were prized during the "Musket Wars " in NZ. The tribes who had muskets could carry out revenge attacks on new or old enemy tribes and if these enemies had only hand held weapons such as Patu they would be in serious trouble....
From Wikipedia: Mokomokai When someone with moko died, often the head would be preserved. The brain and eyes were removed, with all orifices sealed with flax fibre and gum. The head was then boiled or steamed in an oven before being smoked over an open fire and dried in the sun for several days. It was then treated with shark oil. Such preserved heads, mokomokai, would be kept by their families in ornately carved boxes and brought out only for sacred ceremonies.[3]The heads of enemy chiefs killed in battle were also preserved; these mokomokai, being considered trophies of war, would be displayed on the marae and mocked. They were important in diplomatic negotiations between warring tribes, with the return and exchange of mokomokai being an essential precondition for peace.
