A patu is a club or pounder used by the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

. The word in the

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

means to strike, hit, beat, kill or subdue.

Weapons

These types of short-handled clubs were mainly used as a striking weapon. The blow administered with this weapon was a horizontal thrust straight from the shoulder at the enemy's temple. If the foe could be grasped by the hair then the patu would be driven up under the ribs or jaw. Patu were made from hardwood, whale bone, or stone. The most prestigious material for the patu was

pounamu Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in the South Island of New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture. Name The Māori word ...

(greenstone). Māori decorated the patu by carving into the wood, bone or stone. Types of patu include: * '' patu pounamu'' or '' mere'': made from

(greenstone). * ''patu onewa'': made of stone. These resemble the mere in outline but thicker, because the stone used was more easily broken than the resilient pounamu. * ''patu paraoa'': made of whale bone * ''patu tawaka'' and ''patuki'': made from wood. Other styles of short-handled wooden clubs include the '' kotiate'' and '' wahaika''. Less traditional is the rare ''patu pora'', made from iron and the hatchet or whaling harpoon heads (''pātītī''). The patu normally has "a round or rectangular hole in the handle for the tau, or wrist cord". The wrist cord is generally a short or medium piece of rope that is tied together to form a complete loop. The wielder places his hand inside the loop up to his wrist, and quickly spins the patu in order to wind up the cord (around the wrist and hand), thus securing the weapon on the hand. A feathered tassel may also be added at the end of the cord as a form of distraction to the adversary as the patu is wielded against him.

Pounders

Types of nonweapon patu include: * ''patu muka'': a pounder used to soften flax fibre (muka) in preparation for

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

. * ''patu aruhe'': a pounder used to break up edible

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

roots for food.{{cite web, title=Patu aruhe (fernroot beater), url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/object/40557/patu-aruhe-fernroot-beater, publisher=Te Ara, accessdate=20 June 2017

Gallery

File:Kataore, Mere pounamu (42cm x 12cm).jpg, ''Patu pounamu'' made from greenstone File:Maori, spatola patu paraoa, nuova zelanda.jpg, ''Patu paraoa'' made from whale bone File:Patu (AM 46642-2).jpg, ''Patu onewa'' made from stone

References

External links

Mere pounamu
in the collection of the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa ( Māori for ' the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand ...

Patu onewa
in the collection of the

Patu paraoa
in the collection of the

Patu muka
in the collection of the

Patu aruhe
in the collection of the

Clubs (weapon) Māori weapons

Weapons

Pounders

Gallery

See also

References

External links