Showing posts with label Maori weapons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maori weapons. Show all posts

23 Apr 2016

Maori Artifacts

 World Wide Sketch Crawl day today - our local theme was Maori and Colonial.

Hei Tiki - Hei means to suspend and tiki is human form.  Often made from an old adze its shape tended to be tomahawk shaped.  Made of Pounamu traded up from the west coast of the South Island it was considered treasured.  Taonga - treasures tended to gain their value/ mana from who had owned them previously.

Patu - whalebone mere.  Note that even the little figure inscribed is  also holding a mere.  More used as a stabbing hand to hand weapon.

Putorino flute often made from two pieces of Mati (black pine) lashed together.


Paepae - carving likely from a bench in front of a meeting house.  In local style with pointy heads and pungawerewere (spiderweb) decoration.

20 Apr 2013

Maori taiha and patu

The taiaha is not meant for throwing but for hand to hand fighting and thrusting under the neck. Just behind the head of the taiaha would be a tuft of white feathers to help distract the enemy. The eyes are of paua shell. Notice the similarity of patterns even though from different iwi (tribes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVQNHFCGl1w


The whale bone patu is used similarly, not for bopping on the head. Patu also means to hit or strike.