Hand club "kotiate paraoa"

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Description

wood, shell inlay, knob carved as plain “wheku” face

As a proud, warlike people, the Maori were quick to protect their personal reputation and “mana” (prestige/ authority), preferring hand-held close-combat weapons rather than long-distance projectiles.

Their single-handed clubs, usually known by the general term of “patu”, included a wide range of types and materials.

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Comparing literature

Starzecka, Dorota C., Taonga Maori in the British Museum, London 2010, plate 124 f.

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