Weapons & Warriors: The Māori Behind the Masks

The Māori warriors started training at an early age. They specialized in a martial art called Mau Rakau, which included training in the various weapons they used. In one on one combat, a Māori warrior was quite formidable. They did not fight like savages as some might have suspected when they stumbled across these warriors while exploring New Zealand. The Māori are a proud people and more than just powerful proud men, they are spiritual and intelligent. They are excellent astronomers, navigators of the seas, as well as amazing wood and stone carvers.

The history of the Māori people was only recorded orally for many generations until Europeans came to New Zealand and began writing down everything they learned. The first encounter by Europeans with the Māori was not pleasant and friendly. More than likely it was a misunderstanding of the Pōwhiri.

The Pōwhiri is a welcoming ritual and part of it involves three warriors advancing and showing off their skills before making an offering to the newcomers. If the offering is picked up, then the strangers are considered peaceful. If it is not, then the strangers become hostile or untrustworthy to the Māori. Four sailors and only one Māori were killed in that encounter. Apparently the story that was told to the rest of the world was frightening enough that no explorers returned for decades.

Weapons & Warriors: The Tewhatewha of the Māori

This axe-like wooden club was another weapon that was not wielded in the same manner a European invader would have anticipated at first glance. Like many weapons designed by the Māori, they were not used to chop at an enemy like an axe or club. Forward strikes and counter attack slashes were the preferred techniques. Something else confusing to someone who was expecting to battle against an axe was that the sharpened end wasn’t the end with the axe shaped head.

The entire weapon was carved from one solid piece of wood. One end was carved with a fat flat end about half a foot wide that resembled a lumber axe. The rest of the length was nearly five feet and tapered into a sharpened point. At the bottom of the axe-head a hole was drilled and feathers were tied by a cord to dangle. Sometimes designs were carved into the wide flat portion of the head.

Weapons & Warriors: The Stingray Tete of the Māori

This was another weapon I saw on The Deadliest Warrior TV show. I don’t believe it was primarily a Māori weapon, but it was occasionally used by them. As you know, I don’t usually talk about spears unless there is more to them than a stick with a sharp end. This spear is definitely one of the wicked ones. I think this spear is almost as frightening as Makrigga to look at. Although it is less likely to disembowel you, it delivers its own kind of pain in the form of poisonous barbed stingers.

The word Tete is used by Māori for any short spear that is designed for the head to break off once it impacts its target. Most often these look like your average spear with the spearhead made of whale bone, sometimes the bone is carved into three points which allowed a wider impact point for striking at fast moving animals. The particular Tete I’m talking about today replaces the whale bone with several stingers from Stingrays. The stinger of one of these marine animals houses poison inside. Lucky for most people who are stung by a Stingray, the poison is not really lethal to humans. The incident with Steve Irwin (aka: Crocodile Hunter) was a freak accident. The stinger actually pierced his heart, and that is why he died, not because he was poisoned to death.

Weapons & Warriors: The Leiomano of the Hawaiians

I first saw this bad boy on The Deadliest Warrior  TV series and I instantly fell in love with it. It resembles the Hungry Wood of the Aztecs, but it is not as razor sharp or durable. It is also not long and flat, but the weight of it and the jagged sharp teeth are just as deadly. It is scary enough to look at, but when you realize the sharp edges are real shark teeth it adds to the fear.

According to The Deadliest Warrior, the Māori were known to use this weapon, but the Leiomano was more of a Hawaiian weapon and the name Leiomano is Hawaiian. Hawaiians are more known for using it, but the simplicity and abundant resources available to make these clubs made it a possibility for Māori to either create their own or take one from an island north of New Zealand. There are many different kinds of Leiomano. The Hawaiians made fat paddle like versions to long and thin versions that resembled the Aztec Macuahuitl.

On The Deadliest Warrior they referred to the Leiomano as simply the Shark-tooth Club. After some researching, I found that many Polynesian islanders made use shark tooth weapons as well. It wasn't just a Hawaiian weapon, although its first designed versions are from Hawaii. I don't know if the Māori somehow acquired the design from interactions from Hawaiians or if they eventually came up with it on their own.

Weapons & Warriors: The Mere and Wahaika of the Māori

The Taiaha was an effective weapon in combat, but not the only one the Māori cherished. Although the Taiaha represents the ancestors of the warrior, it does not declare status. A Mere was often used by a chieftain and was an expensive weapon to make that sometimes involved more than one generation of crafters. It is said that despite the Taiaha’s range, the Mere was the more deadly and reliable weapon.

The process to grind down a piece of jade, also called greenstone could take many years. It had to be done with perfect precision and care so as to make it’s surface smooth and at the same time the paddle had to be as thin as it could be. Jade is a very hard stone, so even once it is thinned and flattened, it will not break easily. This makes it one of the sturdiest materials available for the Māori who did have access to iron or steel.

Weapons & Warriors: The Taiaha of the Māori

Some might call it a spear or javelin, but this weapon was not made to be thrown. Despite the appearance as a short spear, the Taiaha is bulky and not designed with aerodynamics in mind at all. In fact throwing a Taiaha could be considered a grave insult to a Māori warrior, especially if it embeds itself in something other than an enemy.

The sharp end of the Taiaha is called a tongue, which protrudes from the thicker carved head. The tongue is sharpened and knife like and is used for stabbing or blocking enemy weapons. The shaft gives the Māori better range in close combat and increases the power of a thrust. Māori use this weapon with both hands. The bottom of the shaft was also flattened so that it could be used to thrust and wound enemies.

The Māori trained to use the Taiaha defensively as well as offensively, so that they were able to block attacks and counter with quick short movements. The Taiaha was the weapon of choice by Māori warriors before gunpowder and training began at a young age. Once they were old enough to go to war; they would be masters of the Taiaha. The Taiaha art is still taught today.

Weapons & Warriors: Update on Future Plans

For those of you looking for this week’s “Weapons Weekly” post, I just want to say thanks for the support and blog traffic. Weapons Weekly has really taken off since January and I am a little stunned and overwhelmed by the number of views the Weapons Weekly page itself has received. This week, however I am still researching 3 warrior cultures that I plan to post about over the next couple months. I don’t want to publish anything that is not fully explored or edited. I have had to correct a couple of my former posts because I found out after publishing that my research was not thorough enough. One I caught myself; another was pointed out to me. I find that embarrassing. I never claim to be an expert on anything, but I do have some pride. Research is vital.