A patu is a

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

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 C ...

. The word ''patu'' in the

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...

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 southern 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 , also used ...

(greenstone). Maori decorated the patu by carving into the wood, bone or stone. Types of patu include: * ''

patu pounamu The mere () is a type of short, broad-bladed weapon in the shape of an enlarged tear drop. It was used to strike/jab an opponent in the body or the head, usually made from nephrite jade (pounamu or greenstone). A mere is one of the traditional, h ...

'' or ''

mere Mere may refer to: Places * Mere, Belgium, a village in East Flanders * Mere, Cheshire, England * Mere, Wiltshire, England People * Mere Broughton (1938–2016), New Zealand Māori language activist and unionist * Mere Smith, American televisi ...

'': 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 Baleen is a filter-feeding system inside the mouths of baleen whales. To use baleen, the whale first opens its mouth underwater to take in water. The whale then pushes the water out, and animals such as krill are filtered by the baleen and r ...

* ''patu tawaka'' and ''patuki'': made from wood. Other styles of short handled wooden clubs include the ''

kotiate Kotiate is a type of traditional hand weapon of the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. A kotiate is a short club normally made of wood or whalebone. Kotiate means to cut or divide the liver (koti = cut in two or divide; ate = liver), ...

'' and ''

wahaika A Wahaika is a type of traditional Māori hand weapon. Wahaika are short club-like weapons usually made of wood or whalebone and are used for thrusting and striking in close-quarter, hand-to-hand fighting. Whalebone wahaika are called ''wahaika ...

''. Less traditional is the rare ''patu pora'', made from iron and the hatchet (''patiti''). 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 th ...

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

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

roots for food.

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. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

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 {{Blunt-weapon-stub

Weapons

Pounders

See also

References

External links