Description

Maori Wahaika club (Whale mouth club) on a stand. Description of the wahaika club: Short club, used in close quarter combat.

With Manaia, Spiritual guardian on front and pommel end. And the koru, uncurling fern frond designs and fish scale patterns covering the blade. Another beautiful authentic Maori artwork by our carver Jason. The koru patterns symbolise growth, life, new beginnings, harmony and peace. The shell is South Island paua shell (abalone).

Type of wood used for the Maori wahaika club: Our carver uses native NZ wood (rimu, matai, totara or kauri). This particular club is carved from totara.

• Size: Stand: 440mm x 50mm (17.32″ x1.97″)
  Club: 390mm x 130mm (15.35″ x 5.12″)

Our artist would need 6-8 weeks lead-time (when out of stock).

Wahaika

The wahaika was a pre-European weapon that was traditionally used in hand to hand contact. Wahaika, which means “Mouth of the Fish,” was mostly made from wood or whalebone. The wooden wahaika is often carved with intricate designs.

These weapons have a concave back and have a carved notch on the edge of the back of the weapon. Many also have carvings on the reke, and many have carvings of small human-looking figures near the handle. The weapons were used in battle, of course, but also used in speeches and ceremony to accentuate the delivery of a particular point where Rangitira wanted people to pay attention.

As with the other Maori weapons, the wahaika were used in hand-to-hand combat. The warrior would thrust the wahaika into the body of their enemy, and since the wahaika has a sharp edge, much harm could be done. You can see examples of these weapons at the National Army Museum in the Roimata Pounamu Memorial Area.

Source: Army Museum