MAORI WEAPONS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17438, 9 April 1931, Page 4

MAORI WEAPONS

IMPORTANCE OF THE MERE HOW NATIVES FOUGHT "Fighting was as universal among the Maoris ot old as football is among the. people to-day," suid Mi*. F. V. Fisher, of the Auckland museum staff, in a lecture on Maori weapons. Members of the anthropological and Maori race section of the Auckland Institute formed the audience. Mr. Fisher said the voting native aspiring, to he a warrior practised the use of weapons with flax stalss and reeds, thereby learning the proper guards and parries of weapons that were made of wood, bone or stone. The taiaha was live or six feet long and made of hardwood, wifli a scroll pattern tongue [joint and a shaft cvered with tight-fitting mat kawa feathers or tassels of dog hair. Like the modern soldier with fixed bayonets and gun butt for use, the .Maori was able to wield the taiaha, which was referred to in myth, legend and proverb. The pouvvhenua was a similar weapon, with carved tongue point, and equally interesting was the tewhatowha, shaped like a battle-axe, made of hardwood and occasionally of whalebone. Curious was the whalebone lioeroa, a doubly-curved weapon used for throwing with an underhand jerking movement and recoverable by means of the attached cord. The Maoris wet*e very fond of spears, huata, about 18ft. long, and the shorter tao, pointed at both ends. The natives protected their arms from spear thrusts with flaxen mats called pukupuku. Barbed, spears were rarely used, though it was recorded that; a tribe in the South Island captured a pa with the use of barbed stingray spears. TOOK YEARS TO GRIND INTO SHAPL*. The lecture gave a general description of short, striking weapons, known as patu, the chief of these being the valued greenstone mores, which took years of patient labor to stone-grind into the desired shape. The mere "To Heketau" belonged to Ibe, Ngati-Porou, but was passed on to the Ngati-Maru, and was believed to be still in existence. Ft was last heard of a few years ago in the Thames district. Captured natives showed a pride iii being killed by mere. Once a warrior, carrying a child of high rank, was overtaken by Potiki, of the .Ngiili-Maru, and when about to be slain with patuki,,h'o exclaimed; "Do not kill me with a common tomahawk." He produced "Te Heketua," saying: "Hern is an appropriate weapon to kill me with, so that I may feel it softly." l'oliki recognised the value of the weapon, and spared his erstwhile victim. Te Heii lieu, of Taupo. had a mere which was said to be invisible io enemies, hid itself and reappeared to its owner at call. A mere was often exchanged to honor peace between tribes. The Maoris bad few projectiles, but best known was the kotaha, a sling stick used to throw darts (kopere). Otakinini pa was said'to have been captured in 1690 by this means. "I do not think it has ever been proved that the Maoris used bows and arrows or slings to throw stones." said Mr Fisher, "although bows and arrows were, used at Tahiti, and stone-Slinging was done by Rarotongans and Polynesians. In the case of the Tahitians. perhaps the hows were introduced from somewhere else." Weapons were, also associated with the killings of legendary tnniwhas.