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How did Maori carving styles differ between northwestern and eastern New Zealand?

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dilly bag; Aboriginal Australian art, Northern Territory, Australia — Oceanic art and architecture An Aboriginal Australian decorating a tightly woven dilly bag with white, yellow, and ochre (red) paints, Northern Territory, Australia, 1948.

In the context of Maori sculpture, two distinct carving styles emerged in New Zealand, characterized by significant differences in form and composition.1

The Northwestern Style

This style, which is considered the older of the two, is defined by:
* Shapes: It features undulating, serpentine forms with human bodies and limbs that are tubular or triangular in section and often intertwined.1
* Details: The heads are typically peaked, often featuring gaping mouths with hands and arms looped through them.1
* Surface: Large areas remain smooth, contrasted by finely patterned small sections, such as the lips and eyebrows.1

The Eastern Style

This style is thought to have developed later, potentially influenced by subsequent immigration, and is characterized by:
* Naturalism: Human figures are basically naturalistic, though they feature oversized heads.1
* Stance: The figures resemble central Polynesian models, typically depicted with short legs, swaybacks, and hands resting on the torso, yet they possess well-defined necks.1
* Facial Features: Faces range from naturalistic portraits to ferociously stylized expressions with distorted mouths, outstretched tongues, and slanting oval eyes.1

Both styles commonly incorporated tattoo designs on faces, while scrolls and other patterns were used to accentuate the knees, hips, and shoulders.1