Maori Weapons, Patu, Taiaha, Maripi, Wahaika, Kotiate.

Maori Weapons were made of wood, bone, or stone and crafted of three basic shapes. The Maori Weapons below are the Patu or Mere, the sickle shaped Wahaika and the violin shaped Kotiate. All were used in short thrusting jabs rather than downward blows which would be to slow in combat. Great New Zealand Souvenirs & Gifts. All displayed prices exclude GST and are therefore TAX FREE for Overseas Destinations. Orders within New Zealand will have GST added at the shopping cart.

Wahaika - Maori Weapons

These Maori Weapons were made of wood, bone, stone and greenstone. They were used where quick in-fighting action required thrusting jabs and were held by a thong of dog skin through a hole in the handle and around the wrist and thumb.

Wahaika 1 (1kg, includes 40cm base) $260.00 (NZD) Made from Kauri	Wahaika 2 (300gms 37cm) $149.00 (NZD) Made from Kauri

	Wahaika 4 (380gms 39cm) $96.50 (NZD) Made from Kauri

Patu or Mere - Maori Weapons

Warriors using these Maori weapons in battle relied heavily on quick footwork and agility. Typical strike zones for warriors included the temple, the jaw and the ribs. In each case the leading edge of the weapon was used, rather than a downward clubbing action. A secondary development was the introduction of a hole to accommodate the wrist chord, which became necessary to stop blood or sweat drenched hand slipping up the weapon during the thrust.

Patu 1 (300gms 41cm) $110.00 (NZD) Made from Pine	Patu 2 (110 gms 32cm) $69.00 (NZD) Made from Pine

Kotiate (200gms 38cm) $94.00 (NZD) Made from Pine Kotiate The Kotiate were prized Maori weapons on the battlefield, as well as being favored by many chiefs during speech making. According to popular tradition, these notches were used to entwine the intestines and other organs of the vanquished enemy. (Kotiate means' to cut liver')		Maripi (180gms 31cm) $79.95 (NZD) Made from Kauri Maripi (or Aha) Originally this flesh saw was armed with teeth from the seven gilled shark. It is said to have been used for cutting flesh, sometimes human, but otherwise of a food animal. Carved from New Zealand native Matai timber with Paua shell eyes.

		Out of stock

Greenstone Mere on Wooden Base - Maori Weapons
$499.00 (NZD)
(actual Mere 24cm long - 500gms no base 800gms including base)
The Greenstone Mere were revered and treasured as Maori weapons. They were handed down through the generations.The ancestor of all fighting clubs, beautiful but deadly in its simplicity. A favored move was the forearm thrust to the temples with a sharp twist on contact, which was said to have taken the skull cap off. It was said a practiced proponent in the art of hand combat could decapitate an enemy with one blow. Please note these Mere are carved to order and take one to two weeks to complete. This means you may have to wait two to three weeks for delivery.

Taiaha

These Taiaha's are great for a house ornament or as a gift or special occasion. Perhaps a corporate gift or thank you.

Full Size Taiaha - Maori Weapons

The Taiaha sent may differ slightly from the photograph as each one is carved by hand and differences are inevitable.

The spear shaped Taiaha is the best known of the Maori weapons. It varies considerably in length from 1.2 to 1.9 meters. It can be described best in three sections. The first, Rau or long striking blade usually between 6 and 7cm wide. Second is the shaft which is oval in cross section. Last is the Proximal end, with an arero or tongue extending out from the mouth in the Maori gesture of defiance. The arero formed the extreme end of the weapon. When advancing to engage an opponent a warrior often assumed a guard, with the Taiaha held either vertically or slightly diagonally across the body, the blade uppermost and the arero facing the ground. During fighting, feints and passes were constantly employed, and experienced fighters continually repositioned themselves hoping to detect an opening for a strike. All the while guarding themselves against an attack. A favored ploy was to feint an attack on an enemy's torso or face with the tongue end of the Taiaha, then when the opponent recoiled, reverse arms and strike at the top of his skull with the edge of the Rau. Such a blow could cave in the top of a skull and kill instantly.
I have made the blow up photos of these Maori weapons large so that you can use the scroll bar at the bottom of the picture to scroll along the length of the Taiaha. Depending on your operating system you may have to prevent Windows from fitting the whole picture into one window by clicking on the full size "ball" that appears when you hover over the picture.

The below Taiaha's will only be sent within New Zealand as their length exceeds NZ Posts maximum allowance.

Taiaha 1	Taiaha 2 With greenstone tongue

(Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.) Length 1.5 Meters., Weight 0.85kg, Carved both sides in Tawa. $320.00 (NZD)	(Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.) Length 1.55 Meters., Weight 0.71kg, Carved both sides in a stained Pine. $470.00 (NZD)

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Axe on Base with Greenstone Blade (290gms 29cm long) $250.00 (NZD) Made from Kauri	Tewha Tewha (40cm long x 13cm high) $250.00

Half Size Taiaha on Stand The base measures 75cm long x 7cm deep. Combined weight of Taiaha and base is 700grams $340.00 (NZD)	Mini Taiaha on Stand The base measures 37cm long x 5.2cm deep. Combined weight of the Taiaha and base is 300grams $195.00 (NZD)