> as lemmas

1817 J. L. Nicholas Narr. Voy. N.Z. I. 318 They made Mr. Marsden a present of a ball called a poe, with which the ladies amused themselves by throwing it repeatedly backward and forward; it is..made of their cloth or canvas, stuffed with the down of the bull-rush, having a long string appended to it.

1843 E. Dieffenbach Trav. N.Z. II. iv. 57 Another game is with one ball (poi) suspended from a string.

1859 A. S. Thomson Story of N.Z. I. i. x. 196 Poi is a game played with variegated balls, about the size of large oranges, to which strings are attached. The string is held in one hand and the ball is struck with the other.

1869 Trans. & Proc. N.Z. Inst. 1868 (1875) 1 367 The old men often amused themselves with..encouraging the younger ones..in playing with the poi-ball.

1900 Canterbury Old & New 155 The poi, danced by Maori maidens, who..manipulated a couple of balls.., one in each hand.

1905 W. Baucke Where White Man Treads 87 When the feasting and gaiety had subsided..we all lazily awaited the lining up of the poi maidens.

1935 ‘J. Guthrie’ Little Country vii. 147 The tiny pois danced against arms and shoulders and breasts.

1945 R. Park in Coast to Coast 1944 42 There'll be girls dancing the poi.

1949 P. H. Buck Coming of Maori (1950) ii. ix. 243 The string of the poi was held in the right hand and the ball was twirled and beaten back with the left hand while various movements were made over the shoulder, to the sides, the thighs, the knees, the head, the poi balls being kept twirling in perfect time to the songs sung by the leaders.

1958 S. Ashton-Warner Spinster 47 The Maori love-songs..and the poi tunes and the melodies they use in canoes.

1977 N.Z. Woman's Weekly 10 Jan. 35/2 A calendar which features Maori poi dancing at Rotorua.

2000 S. Broughton et al. World Music: Rough Guide II. i. 224/2 The Maori repertoire includes poi dances, performed by women using balls (poi) attached to a string, which are swung in intricate patterns by the dancers.