Weapons and Warfare

Te Ao Hou, December 1956, Page 50

What weapons did the pre-European Maori have? How did he use them? Weapons and Warfare by Hemi Bennett From youth to old age, training in the use of arms was one of the most important activities in the life of the old time Maori. One of the first and most important lessons which had to be learned by the beginner was to keep the eyes from moving when facing an enemy and to keep them fixed on either one of two points—the point of the shoulder or the point of the big toe. By watching the advanced foot of his opponent, the fighter would be warned of the delivery of an approaching blow by the downward clinching of the big toe, a fraction of a second before it arrived, giving him warning and that much time to prepare his parry. By the same token, the slightest twitch of the shoulder muscles also signalled the approach of a blow. It was also considered advantageous to be always on the move—when facing an enemy, and it was necessary to train oneself to be agile and light on the feet. On going in to do battle, a Maori would usually take with him two weapons—one, a short striking weapon generally carried in the waistband of his war apron, the other a long two-handed weapon. One of his most important weapons was the “Taiaha” which was considered the main weapon of defence and offence that he had. Anything from five to seven feet in length, it was made usually of manuka or puriri wood which had been tempered or hardened by placing in a fire before scraping off the charcoal with a shell. The base was scraped to a round, flattened blade-end which merged into a slender cylindrical shaft. The top was carved after the fashion of a tongue protruding from a chinless head, and though the weapon was slim the strength was so great that there was no fear of it breaking; consequently, a fighter had every confidence in his taiaha. In contest, the weapon was held in front of the body, with the tongue pointing to the ground, one hand gripping the taiaha just above the head, the other placed slightly higher. The fighter might give his opponent the impression that he intended thrusting the point or tongue-end through his middle, then, while he bent forward or ducked in anticipation of the blow, the opposite end of the weapon would be brought down on his head. When making a speech on a ceremonial occasion, a Chief would brandish a taiaha as he walked back and forth. Another weapon in fairly common use was the pouwhenua which was not unlike the taiaha in appearance except that there was no carved tongue or head (the end being brought to a thick point instead). Sometimes made of stone, they were used much as was the taiaha. Another favourite weapon was the tewhatewha which, though made entirely of wood, was not unlike an axe in shape, and was generally four to five feet in length. It was a peculiarly shaped weapon, pointed at the base while the shaft held its thickness through to the blade end, which tapered to its edge. The small end was used for delivering a point, the edge of the blade never being used to strike a blow, but rather that thick Maori weapons as painted by Angas. At the bottom: a pukaea (war trumpet) and just above this a war gong, used, according to Elsdon Best, for letting the enemy know that the garrison was on the alert. (Turnbull Library.)

portion which was the back part of the blade. From a small hole in the blade near the edge hung a bunch of feathers which was used to distract the enemy, the fighter drawing the weapon swiftly to one side in front of his opponent's eyes. The kopere was a dart from 3ft 6in to 4 feet long, made of the hardest wood, the point having been hardened in fire and scraped. It was stuck loosely in the ground at an angle calculated to strike the object at which it was aimed. A stout piece of manuka about 4 feet in length, with a strong cord attached, would then be hitched loosely around the dart, the latter being propelled towards its objective by the operator pulling on the piece of manuka. The Ngatiwhakaue tribe of Rotorua were adept in its use, being able to hurl the dart anything from 70 to 80 yards. The hoeroa, a rare weapon made from whalebone, was from 4 to 6 feet in length. With a thong attached in order to retrieve it, this weapon was thrown at the enemy from the pallisades of a pa. It was much feared as there was no guard to parry it. The aforementioned were all two-handed weapons. These long weapons were usually placed inside the houses on the left-hand side of the door (facing it) where one could always find them in the dark without searching for them. They were single combat weapons. Of the short, striking weapons which were all used with one hand, the most intrinsically valuable as well as the most important was the green-stone mere. In fashioning one of these weapons, a piece of raw greenstone, absolutely without blemish, was carefully selected. Where possible this would be of sufficient size to produce not only a mere for the chief, but also a tiki for his wife. This latter, which was worn exclusively by women—was fashioned after the form of a human foetus. Greenstone was a source of wealth which could be given in payment for insult, dowry, or as presents to the dead. If a stranger of rank were to die away from his home, his body would be returned to his village together with flax and feathered cloaks and greenstone weapons and ornaments befitting his rank. Eventually, perhaps years later, presents of at least equal value would be returned to the people, as a means of honouring their dead. Greenstone, Jade or Nephrite, all as hard as steel, was highly prized and handed down from father to son or mother to daughter. Seven types were known and named. 1. Commonest of all was the very dark green. 2. Kawakawa, was also dark. 3. Tangiwai was translucent. 4. Kahurangi, light green. 5. Inanga—blue-grey, and the combinations of the dark green and the blue-grey, and the translucent and blue-grey. Of them all Tangiwai and Inanga were the most highly prized. Greenstone was worked by using pieces of quartsite, hard sand and water, Whalebone mere found in burial cave, now in possession of Mr S. Chapman, in his interesting private museum in Dargaville. (Photograph: J. Ashton.) much of the work being done under water. Other short striking weapons were made of basalt, wood, or whale-bone. Wooden weapons of this sort being used mainly in ceremony. The old time Maori warrior had a horror of dying in his bed, yet death in battle was almost looked forward to. This was certainly preferred to an ordinary illness. As a child he would have been placed under the protection of Tumatauenga—the mighty god of War—and at certain times during his life, rites, prayers and incantations would be recited over him as a means of invoking Tu—the War God—to give him courage, to make him strong in battle and to enable him to handle his weapons in such a way as to overcome his enemies. Also, on going into battle he was steeped very deeply in tapu. The fighting accomplished, he was not free to return to the pa until the tapu had been lifted by the Tohunga or priest. An ancient proverb runs: “He wahine, he whenua a ngaro ai te tangata”, which translated means “Women and land are the causes of war”, or “are the reasons whereby men are lost.” Except for a war apron which he wore around his waist a Maori always went naked into battle. To protect him from spear thrusts he sometimes wore over his shoulders a thick cloak tied at the front so as to leave his arms free. A war party was generally led by a chief of high standing and he would be accompanied by several other chiefs and warriors, fighting being for men of rank rather than for slaves. Yet the simple savage with his primitive defences, his obsolete methods of war, his inadequate weapons of stone and wood, was an easy prey to the pakeha's modern methods of destruction. Bullets were something beyond his comprehension leaving him amazed as in his bewilderment he attempted to stop them with his cloak.