Tahitian Poi Pounder

18th - 19th Century 5.5" H x 2.875" L x 3.375" W Base Hand Made from a Pinkish Gray Stone with a Rounded Flat Bottom and a Handle In Good Condition Damaged at Working End with Damage at Base As Pictured. The cross‑bar (T‑shaped) top and broad flared base, which is the classic Society Islands / Tahitian form. Cross‑bar pounders are identified as the “classical Maupiti form.” By the mid‑19th century, Tahitian stone pounders decline sharply in production due to colonial disruption, metal tools, and changing food-preparation practices. The form becomes less common, and later pieces tend to show different proportions or cruder workmanship. The well‑finished cross‑bar type is overwhelmingly pre‑1840. A Tahitian poi pounder (known as a penu in Tahitian) is a traditional stone tool used in the Society Islands (including Tahiti) of French Polynesia to mash cooked starchy foods—primarily breadfruit (uru), taro, sweet potato, or bananas—into a paste called poi or popoi.