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
