MAORI SHORT CLUBS (PATA FORM)
 

THE MOST SIMPLE FORM AND I SUSPECT THE CLUB THE OTHERS EVOLVED FROM IS THE PATA. THIS CLUB HAS MORE EXAMPLES MADE OF STONE THAN THE OTHERS AND ALL OLD ONES HAVE NO ARTISTIC DECORATION OR VERY LITTLE CONSISTING OF GROVES CUT AT THE END OF THE GRIP. SOME OF THE NEWER ONES DO HAVE DECORATIVE CARVING BUT STILL MAINTAIN THE PROPER FORM AND SHAPE. THEY ARE MADE FROM WOOD, WHALE BONE AND VARIOUS TYPES OF STONE AND RANGE IN THE SAME SIZES AS THE OTHER FORMS. THE ONES MADE OF JADE ARE THE ONLY ONES REFERRED TO AS MERE, ALL OTHERS ARE REFERRED TO AS PATA (FOLLOWED BY THE WORD FOR THE MATERIAL USED WOOD, WHALEBONE OR STONE).

THE MERE (JADE) WAS THE MOST DESIRED AND PRESTIGIOUS CLUB. JADE IS THE TOUGHEST OF STONES AND DOES NOT BREAK, SHATTER OR CHIP EASILY SO IS SUPERIOR TO ALL OTHERS NOT TO MENTION VERY BEAUTIFUL. JADE IS VERY DIFFICULT TO WORK AND IS UNCOMMON. IT TAKES A LOT MORE WORK AS WELL AS TIME TO MAKE ONE SO ONLY THE ELITE OR CHIEF WOULD BE LIKELY TO OWN ONE. I SUSPECT A WARRIOR COULD AQUIRE ONE IN BATTLE IF HE COULD KILL OR DEFEAT A CHIEF OR WARRIOR WHO HAD ONE. THERE ARE STORIES OF WARRIORS WHO WERE CAPTURED ASKING FOR THE HONOR OF BEING KILLED WITH THE MERE AS IT WAS HELD IN SUCH HIGH REGARD AND HAD SO MUCH MANA.

(CONJECTURE FOLLOWS) I SUSPECT THE PATA FORM OF CLUB REPRESENTS THE HUMAN TONGUE. THE REASON FOR THIS IDEA IS THE IMPORTANCE PLACED BY THE MAORI ON THE TONGUE. IN THE TERRITORIAL THREAT DISPLAY DANCE HAKA THE EYES ARE BUGGED AND THE TONGUE THRUST OUT. THE HAKA IS VERY AGRESSIVE IN ITS MOVEMENTS, EXPRESSIONS AND SHOUTS OR CHANTS. THE TONGUE BEING THRUST OUT BEING THE ULTIMATE THREAT. THE CARVINGS AND THE END OF THE LONG WEAPON FEATURES A TIKI WITH TONGUE THRUST OUT AS A RECURING THEME.
THREAT DISPLAYS ARE COMMON IN ALL ANIMAL SPECIES USUALLY OVER TERRITORY, FOOD OR FEMALES.
MY ANCESTORS PAINTED THEMSELVES BLUE AND WENT TO WAR NAKED, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THEIR HAKA WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE. :D

A FEW MORE. THE TAIAHA IS A LONG WEAPON AND ILLISTRATES THE PATA SHAPED STRIKING EDGE AND END OF THE LONG CLUB AS WELL AS THE TIKI WITH ITS TONGUE STICKING OUT AT THE SPEAR END.

Amazing! Thanks, Vandoo :)

A PICTURE OF BOTH ENDS OF THE TAIAHA (SPEAR END AND STRIKING END) AND A PIC. OF A WARRIORS HAKA

Hi Vandoo,

It's possible that the pata was a tongue, but I think something else is going on there.

For one thing, I remember that the archeologists dug up a whalebone pata somewhere around Tahiti, so we can argue that it's an old (but useful) design, sort of like the leaf-shaped knife blade.

The bigger issue is material. For whatever reason, we don't really see stone spearheads in Polynesian or Micronesian culture, except on Easter Island where they were an independent development. I'm not sure why this is the case, but I'm willing to bet it's that there's a fundamental problem with grinding sharp stone points out of basalt, jade, or whalebone (same process, different materials).

Since a pata is supposed to have a sharpish edge and they thrust with it, I bet that the axehead-like edge is a compromise that is effective when blunt, and more effective when sharp, especially when you target it properly. It's also good for chopping/smashing, on the same principle.

I also recall that some tribe went to war to capture a mere a one point, and they were named too. I don't know the details, but they were so valuable that I would be surprised if it wasn't the case.

Best,

F

YOU ARE CORRECT THAT MOST OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS DIDN'T HAVE THE PROPER ROCK THAT WOULD FLAKE AND ALL SHAPEING HAD TO BE DONE BY SPLITTING ,CUTTING AND GRINDING. LAVA, BASALT,SERPENTINE AND IN SOME AREAS GRANITE WERE THE ONES MOST COMMONLY FOUND. MOST STONE CUTTING TOOLS WERE IN THE COMMON CELT FORM AND WERE HAFTED, I WILL SHOW A MAORI JADE EXAMPLE. EXAMPLES OF GROUND POINTS ASIAN GROUND SLATE DAGGERS. ESKIMO GROUND SLATE ULU KNIFE. AND A OLD NEW GUINEA STONE AX HEAD LIKELY FROM MOUNT HAGEN (IT IS THE CLOSEST IN SHAPE AND SIZE I CAN COME TO A MAORI PATA)

NO DOUBT THE PATA SHAPE SPREAD THRUOUT POLYNESIA THERE IS A WOODEN FORM WITH A ROUNDED TIP FOUND ON EASTER ISLAND (SEE PIC. OF 18 INCH LONG EXAMPLE). THATS A LONG WAY FROM NEW ZEALAND OR TAHITI. GROUND SLATE WEAPONS, CEREMONIAL OBJECTS AND JEWLRY WERE FOUND IN NORTH AMERICA AS WELL.
THE CONJECTURE THAT THE PATA MAY REPRESENT THE TONGUE WAS A CONTROVERSIAL COMMENT TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY LURKERS OR MEMBERS WITH A LOT OF KNOWLEGE IN THE FIELD FOR A REBUTTEL. EVIDENTLY NOT :(

HERE IS A MODERN MERE MADE AS AN ARTISTIC PIECE AND BASED ON A OLD POLYNESIAN LEGEND. THE ARTIST FASHIONED IT FROM JADE AND MADE IT WITH AN OCTOPUS ON IT. THE GIVEN LEGEND WAS OF A LEGENDARY POLYNESIAN NAVIGATOR NAMED KUPE WHO DISCOVERED NEW ZEALAND WHILE HE WAS CHASING A TROUBLESOME WHEKE (OCTOPUS). THE OCTOPUS HAD BEEN EATING ALL THE FISH IN KUPE'S HOMELAND OF HAWAIKI. THE OCTOPUS WAS FINALLY CONQUERED WITH A PADDLE. THE MERE IS 11.5 INCHES LONG X 4 IN. WIDE AND 1.25IN. THICK MADE OF NEW ZEALAND JADE I BELIEVE IT TO BE A TYPE REFERED TO AS FLOWER JADE AND IS USED IN JEWLRY AND HAS VARIOUS COLORS AND PATTERNS. IT IS NOT CURRENTLY FOR SALE BUT I AM NOT SURE IF IT HAS BEEN SOLD OR SIMPLY TAKEN OFF THE MARKET. I THINK IT IS A UNUSUAL EXAMPLE OF A MODERN ETHNOGRAPHIC ART PIECE MADE IN NEW ZEALAND. IT IS CALLED KUPE'S MERE I DON'T KNOW IF THE LEGEND IS A OLD ONE OR MODERN ONE BUT IT MAKES A GOOD STORY :D

Maori short club
 

Patu, not Pata.

Best,
Brian

http://www.new-guinea-tribal-art.com...weapons-maori/

I found this short reference that is good and covers a bit more than I have. you are right its PATU but I have no way of going back and correcting it.
ONE REFERENCE STATES THAT THE PATU WAS MADE OF STONE OR WHALE BONE BUT NEVER WOOD.THERE ARE MANY WOODEN ONES AROUND NOW SO PERHAPS THEY ARE OF MORE RECENT ORIGINS. SOME OTHER CLUBS WERE MADE OF WOOD BUT NOT STONE AS WELL. THIS INFORMATION MAY BE ABOUT THE OLD PRE-CONTACT TRADITIONS FOR MAKING WEAPONS. OF COURSE IN A ARCHELOGICAL DIG MOST WOODEN ITEMS WILL BE LONG GONE. :shrug:

The tongue idea may be speculation, but it is interesting. It is certainly not uncommon to see Chinese and other steel weapons with the blade coming out of the open mouthed head forming the guard.

I wonder about the shape based on the long triangle of the original stone "handaxe" that served as models for later celts. Louis Leaky speculated that some handaxes might have been designed for throwing. If so, they would have been held from the tip to put the greater mass of the wide end on the end of a lever arm. The kawas of Vanuatu was a sort of stone throwing stick, but the oldest versions were basically stone hand axes in one piece with a stone handle. I wonder if the patu didn't start as something of the sort. They seem too high value to throw around, but I could imagine that one would have stopping power as a close quarter missile. Slings and spears propelled by cords were excellent Maori distance projectiles, so perhaps in later use they became solely high status clubs.

Well, it is fun to speculate...
:shrug:

PICTURES #1. THRU #6. PATU MADE OF VARIOUS TYPES OF MATERIALS
#7.VARIOUS STONE CLUBS OR TOOLS
#8. WHALE BONE VARIATION OF PATU
#9. MODERN EXAMPLES PACKED AND READY TO TRAVEL
#10.UNUSUAL MAORI STONE CLUB 18 TO 20 INCHES LONG
#11. VARIOUS STONE FORMS OF PATU
#12. A WELL CARVED WHALE BONE PATUKI CLUB