MAORI LONG WEAPONS

[VANDOO]

MORE VARIATIONS OF THE FORM

[VANDOO]

THERE SEEMS TO BE 3 VARIATIONS TO THE STRIKING END OF THE TAIAHA / TAHIATIA THE MOST COMMON IS THE ROUNDED TIP SHAPED LIKE THAT ON THE SHORT PATU CLUBS. THERE ARE EXAMPLES WITH A FLAT END WITH SQUARE TIP AND ONE THAT COMES TO A POINT BUT NOT A VERY SHARP POINT. THE SHELL INLAY IS USUALLY FROM THE LOCAL ABALONE SHELL AND CAN COME IN DIFFERENT SHAPES AND DESIGNS. MOST BLADES ARE LEFT PLAIN BUT SOME EXAMPLES MAY BE CARVED IN DESIGNS COMPLETELY OR ON PART OF THE BLADE. SOME ARE INLAYED WITH PUA SHELL AS WELL. THEY USUALLY ARE FOR CEREMONIES AND BELONG TO SOMEONE OF IMPORTANCE. THEY LIKE TO USE RED SEALING WAX FOR THE EYES ON SOME CLUBS AS WELL AS ON THEIR JADE HEI TIKI'S. THE CARVING AND SHAPE ON THE POINT WITH THE HEAD VARIES AS WELL. SIMILAR CLUB FORMS AND FIGHTING STYLES CAN BE FOUND IN OTHER CULTURES NOTABLY EASTER ISLAND.
#1. A FULLY CARVED TAHAITIA WITH SHELL INLAY THRU-OUT
#2. #3. & #4. TWO UNUSUAL VARIATIONS I SUSPECT IS MAORI, 58 IN. OR 147CM.
#5. CONTEMPORARY SOUVENIR WITH JADE POINT.
#6.& #7 CONTEMPORARY SOUVENIRS.

[kahnjar1]

Hi Barry,
Some practical background just in case you want to try it!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nns816pzIrY
Stu

[VANDOO]

THANKS STU THAT GIVES A GOOD DEMONSTRATION OF THE BLOCKING AND STRIKING TECHNIQUES USED WITH THIS WEAPON PLUS IT GIVES ME THE CURRENT SPELLING OF THE WEAPONS NAME. PERHAPS THE SPELLING I USED ORIGINALLY IS FROM A OLD BOOK OR A MISTAKE FROM A OLD REFERENCE OR JUST ME AT ANY RATE THE CURRENT SPELLING HAS BEEN ADDED THOUGH THE OLD SPELLING REMAINS. AT ANY RATE THERE ARE LIKELY MORE PICTURES OF VARIOUS TAIAHA IN ONE PLACE THAN ANY OTHER PLACE AND IF EACH PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS ITS WORTH DOING . I ESPECIALLY LIKED THE " WHERE THE MOREPORK PERCHES " BLOCKING MOVE IN THE VIDEO.
PICTURE #1. CLOSE UP DETAIL OF CARVED HANDLE END OF 2 EXAMPLES IN CHRISTCHURCH MUSEUM.
#2. & #3. my Maori long weapons
#4.,#5 & #6. my oldest heaviest stone carved Taiaha, fully carved, 57 inches long.
#7. & #8. longest ceremonial Taiaha for chief or shaman in charge very heavy with carving on blade.69.5 inches long.
#9. 52.5 in long Taiaha
#10. a good heavy more recent Taiaha I've had it over 20 years, 61 inches long
#11. taiaha 1800's book plate
#12. old postcard warrior with dogskin mat and decoration on taiaha

[kronckew]

current full sized taiaha (1.5 metre +/-) commercially available are mostly made of evergreen wood & are fairly light. my feathered one falls in this category. i've found a couple carvers online that will make them from traditional hardwood, but they are much more expensive as good hardwoods are hard to come by and hardwood is harder to carve too.

i managed to acquire one from a collection estate sale, also around 1.5 metres, but it weighs more than twice what the contemporary one does. it also appears to be a lot harder. it has a flax fibre 'skirt' in lieu of feathers or dog hair bundles.

there are two more two handed weapons, the pouwhenua, similar to the taiaha with a similar bladed striking end, but a sharp round section point on the other end for stabbing, and the tewhatewha, again, point one end and a quarter circular axe-like protrusion, frequently with feathers or hair attached to improve visibility - it's carried by the war chiefs as a signalling device similar to the japanese war fan...copies of these from museum photos below my two.

if the martial arts interest you, there is a movie called "the deadlands: where the warrior spirit was born'' on dvd that might interest y'all. (it's available thru amazon). also available thru amazon is a fairly thin book reprint 'traditional maori weapons' by jeff Evans- i do have a copy of that. (cover below)

aother link to youtube video of a haka with tewhatewha, patu, etc. is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLmS9e_4m6A

as a humorous aside, note the bruises to their chests as the video progresses and they slap themselves. i read recently of german army drill team men having to have breast reduction surgery as in their routine the rifle is slapped into their chests, causing enlargement over time.

p.s. - the tewhatehwa 'axe blade' was NOT used to strike, the side opposite was. the blade just added mass to the strike.

[VANDOO]

MORE EXAMPLES OF TAIAHA FROM OLD POSTCARDS, BOOKS ,ECT.
#1., #2., #3., #4, # 5. & #6 VARIOUS TAIAHA
#7. 1840 DRAWING OF WARRIORS UNKNOWN LONG WEAPON
#8. DRAWING OF A MAORI PA (FORTRESS)
#9. DRAWING, BATTLE AT THE PA
#10. SIGNALING WITH A TEWHATEWHA AT THE PA

[VANDOO]

THE SECOND MOST COMMON MAORI LONG WEAPON IS THE TEWHA TEWHA THEY ARE MADE OF WOOD AND RARELY OUT OF WHALE BONE AND HAVE A LARGE AX LIKE BLADE AT ONE END AND A SHARP ROUNDED POINT FOR THRUSTING AT THE OTHER END. A TUFT OF FEATHERS IS OFTEN TIED THRU A SMALL HOLE UNDER THE AX HEAD, IT IS SAID TO CONFUSE OR IRRITATE THE ENEMY. SOME EXAMPLES ARE PLAIN AND SOME HAVE A SMALL DESIGN CARVED NEAR THE SHARP TIP, SOME ARE ENTIRELY OR PARTIALLY CARVED WITH MAORI DESIGNS.
#1. THE HEAVY AX LIKE AX STRIKING END.
#2. THE SHARP THRUSTING TIP.
#3. 3 EXAMPLES OF TEWHA TEWHA
#4.& #5.TWO TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF THE CARVED DESIGNS OFTEN FOUND
TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY DOWN THE SHAFT TOWARD THE SHARP TIP.
#6. DRAWING FROM COOKS VOYAGE 1778
#7. OLD CHIEF WITH TEWHA TEWHA
#8. MAORI CHIEF, ROTACU ANAHA 1901
# 9. THRU #12. VARIOUS OLD PICTURES OF WARRIORS WITH TEWHA TEWHA