PAGE 1
MAORI CULTURE
"SHORT CLUB"
FIGHTING WEAPONS
(PATU POUNAMU "GREENSTONE" & PATU ONEWA "DARK STONE")
NEW ZEALAND

1600's TO PRESENT DAY

PAGE 1 OF 1 PAGES
COPYRIGHT APRIL 30, 2013 PETER A. BOSTROM
Maori stone fighting "clubs."
MAORI STONE SHORT "CLUB" FIGHTING WEAPONS

Abstract image of Maori stone fighting "clubs."

ABSTRACT
PATU POUNAMU & PATU ONEWA
CLOSE-COMBAT FIGHTING WEAPONS

MAORI CULTURE, NEW ZEALAND

1600's TO PRESENT DAY

    This article illustrates and describes several examples of Maori culture "short club" fighting weapons known as patu onewa (dark stone) and patu pounamu (greenstone). They are recognized as the best Maori stone-work ever produced. The age of the examples in this report are difficult to determine. One or more may date to the 1800's and the remainder to the 1900's. They represent close-combat fighting weapons that were used by Maori warriors. Captain Cook observed and recorded their use in 1769 during his first voyage to New Zealand. The fact that they are made of stone and were mainly used as a thrusting weapon is unique when compared to other cultures in the world.

    "The old (Maori) warrior first attacked him (1769 demonstration, not real human) with his lance, advancing with a most furious aspect. Having pierced him, the patoo-patoo (hard stone hand club) was used to demolish his head, at which he struck with a force which would at one blow have split any man's skull: from whence we concluded no quarter was given by these people to their foes in time of action."--------1784-1786, from account of Captain Cook's first voyage within bound text published in 80 parts, George William Anderson, "---Complete Collection Of Voyages Round The World---Captain Cook's First, Second, Third And Last Voyages,---" p. 45-46.
    "Patu is the name given to a group of thrusting weapons made of greenstone, whale bone, and wood, all of which are characterized by a narrow neck expanding into a flat blade with a cutting edge at the distal end of the weapon."------1945, Margaret Mead, "The Maoris And Their Arts", p. 21.
    "The Maori were skilled in making stone axes; and the mere pounamu, a greenstone weapon, is a powerful implement, beautifully made, and sometimes takes years to finish, the owner rubbing away at it all spare hours, like a lady at her knitting or crochet."--------1912, Elsdon Best, "The Stone Implements Of The Maori," p. 68.
     "The finely wrought, plain, stone mere or patu onewa (hard stone hand club), is among the highest examples of Maori stone working, both on account of its elegant form and perfect balance, its smooth-polished surface, and the careful working of the butt grooves and thong hole."----1967, Gilbert Archey, "South Sea Folk, Handbook Of Maori And Oceanic Ethnology, p. 38.
    "As with tools and implements, so with weapons; the patent superiority of European arms saw the patu (
hard stone hand club) quickly replaced by the (metal) tomahawk mounted in a neatly-carved bone handle, and the rifle, or fowling piece, became the greatest prize of every Maori warrior."---------1967, Gilbert Archey, "South Sea Folk, Handbook Of Maori And Oceanic Ethnology, p. 38.
    "A perfectly balanced mere (hard stone hand club) with its sharp edges was a deadly weapon for the hand-to-hand fighting in which a warrior's reputation was made or lost for ever, and its beauty of form and color had to be worthy of the mana it would acquire as it was passed down a line of warrior chiefs."---------1971, G. L. Pearce, "Greenstone, The Story Of New Zealand Jade," p. 49.
    "The common characteristics of short clubs is a flat broad blade with a rounded end made sharp enough to split the skull of a man, or to cause deadly injuries to the neck or ribs by thrusting blows"---------1964, T. Barrow, "The Decorative Arts Of The New Zealand Maori, p. 38.
    "All of the short clubs, or patu, as they are usually called, were designed for quick in-fighting where split-second action required thrusting jabs with little time for downward blows. The fighter kept firm hold on the weapon by means of a thong of dog-skin which passed through the hole on the handle of the weapon and round his wrist and thumb"--------1964, T. Barrow, "The Decorative Arts Of The New Zealand Maori, p. 38.

Abstract row of Maori stone fighting "clubs."
 
PATU ONEWA & PATU POUNAMU
CLOSE-COMBAT FIGHTING WEAPONS
MAORI CULTURE, NEW ZEALAND

1600's TO PRESENT DAY

      Craftsmanship and material quality are two characteristics that often identify a small percentage of stone tools as something special. The patu onewa and the patu pounamu "stone hand clubs" of the New Zealand Maori are unique in this way. They are recognized as the best Maori stone-work ever produced. The stone "short clubs" of the Maori were close-quarter fighting weapons that were handed down from generation to generation. They were not designed as true clubs but as thrusting weapons. In a ritual sense, they were containers for ancestral energy and magical powers.

Abstract image from original pub. Cook Voyage & "club."
DISCOVERY OF NEW ZEALAND IS DOMINATED
BY BRITISH EXPLORER CAPTAIN JAMES COOK

    Captain Cook is the first European explorer to describe a Maori "short club." He was the second explorer to arrive in New Zealand in 1769, 127 years after the original Dutch discoverer, Abel Janszoon Tasman. He made two more stops in later voyages in New Zealand in 1773 and 1777. A fight broke out during his first contact and several Maori were killed but other contacts are reported to have been friendly. Captain Cook was the first explorer to observe and describe the use of a patu (short hand club) by a Maori warrior in a fighting demonstration. "The old (Maori) warrior first attacked him (a demonstration target, not real person) with his lance, advancing with a most furious aspect. Having pierced him, the patoo-patoo (short hand club) was used to demolish his head, at which he struck with a force which would at one blow have split any man's skull: from whence we concluded no quarter was given by these people to their foes in time of action."

     New Zealand's first people were Polynesians. Recent estimates of their arrival begins about AD 800 to AD 1200 during an Archaic period called Nga Kakano or "the seeds." Maori is the word that has been used to describe these people since the arrival of the Europeans. Abel Janszoon Tasman was the first European explorer to discover New Zealand in 1642. When he stopped to gather water, one of his boats was attacked and he reports that four of his men and several Maori were killed. The second explorer to arrive, 127 years later, was Captain Cook in 1769. On this occasion a fight broke out during his first contact and several Maori were killed but other contacts were reported to be friendly. Captain Cook was the first explorer to observe and describe the use of a patu "short club" by a Mori warrior in a fighting demonstration which he commented, "from whence we concluded no quarter was given by these people to their foes in time of action." The heads of fallen enemies were taken in battle, others were kept as slaves and some were eaten. Captain Cook referred to the close-quarter fighting and thrusting weapon as a patoo patoo.

Five examples of Maori short "clubs," in bone, stone, wood.
FROM LITHIC CASTING LAB'S COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL IMAGES, DENVER ART MUSEUM, COMPUTER ALTERED
MAORI PATU SHORT "CLUBS"
WOOD, WHALEBONE AND STONE
MAORI CULTURE, NEW ZEALAND

     This picture illustrates fives examples of Maori close combat fighting weapons called patu "short hand clubs." They were made from wood, whale bone and stone. They are all called patu, which is a descriptive word that means club or pounder used for striking, hitting, beating or to subdue. But more specifically, the word patu is used along with the material. The example on the left is made of wood and two types of patu wood "clubs" are called patu tawaka and patu patuki. The second and third examples are made of whale bone and they are called patu paraoa. The fourth example is made of what is often referred to as dark-stone, greywacke, and even basalt. These types are called patu onewa. The example on the far right is made of New Zealand greenstone from the south island but might be more accurately called nephrite. The stone was and still is highly prized. So-much-so, that these types of short "clubs" were sometimes given individual names. They are called either mere or patu pounamu. Pounamu is the word used for greenstone and mere refers to a short broad-bladed weapon in the shape of a tear drop, but more specifically, one made of greenstone.

    The stone patu is often referred to as a short hand club, even though it was used as a thrusting weapon. They began to be used during the 17th and 18th centuries. The stone patu lost its place as a significant fighting weapon in the 19th century with the arrival of metal weapons. Europeans began trading daggers, swords, tomahawks, and muskets for land and other commodities. This period marks the outbreak of devastating wars between the Maori tribes known as the musket wars. Between 1807 and 1842 an estimated 500 or more battles were fought. Approximately 20% of the people in the region were killed and another 30% were enslaved or forced to migrate. Many of the slaves were made to grow food to buy more guns. The traditional Maori close-fighting technique with patu "clubs" and short spears ended with the arrival of the new and advanced European weaponry.

Group of five different Maori stone fighting "clubs."
PRIVATE COLLECTION
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
GREENSTONE AND DARK-STONE "CLUBS"
(PATU POUNAMU & PATU ONEWA)

MAORI CULTURE, NEW ZEALAND

    This group of Maori stone patu "clubs" were made from two types of New Zealand stone that was commonly used to make these types of fighting weapons. The green "clubs" are called patu pounamu for greenstone and patu onewa for dark stone. They all have a basic tear-drop shape in outline, a hole at the base of the handle and decoration on the end of the handles in the form of raised concentric ridges or grooves. The largest greenstone "club" in this group measures 16 7/16 inches (41.8 cm) long, 4 5/8 inches (11.8 cm) wide and 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) thick at the center of the blade. The longest dark stone "club" measures 13 1/2 inches (34.3 cm) long, 3 1/2 inches (8.9 cm) wide and 13/16 inch (2.1 cm) thick at the center of the blade.

    Maori warriors are famous for their close-quarter hand-to-hand fighting. The main weapons used, prior to European contact, were staffs, spears and clubs. Projectile weapons were very limited. The bow and arrow and shield were unknown and sling stones were apparently little used. They did develop a spear-thrower called a whipsling or kataha that was used to propel a spear or dart. Most spears were used as thrusting weapons and not thrown. The most famous close-fighting weapons were the "short clubs" known as mere or patu. Mere usually refers specifically to a greenstone type and patu refers to several different types made from whalebone, stone and wood.

Three views of a dark-stone Maori fighting "club."
PRIVATE COLLECTION
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
DARK-STONE "CLUB"
(PATU ONEWA)

MAORI CULTURE, NEW ZEALAND

    This patu onewa, dark stone "club," is a "classic" example. It has a tear-drop shape, the end of the handle has a large bi-conically drilled hole and the handle decoration on the flared end is in the form of three concentric raised ridges and one center ridge on the end. It appears to have been made traditionally with primitive tools. The surface has a good polish and a heavy patina. An old tag that was attached to it reads, "NEW ZEALAND, Found in a London shop W. L. Waters." This patu onewa is made of a slightly greenish colored dark-stone, known as greywacke. It measures 12 7/8 inches (32.7 cm) long, 3 5/8 inches (9.2 cm) wide and 11/16 inch (1.7 cm) thick at the center of the blade.

      Writers have referred to the Maori weapons illustrated in this report, in general terms, as clubs, short clubs, short sword-clubs, hand clubs, patoo patoo, mere, patu and even battle axes. But each type does have a more specific name. The beautiful green "jade-like" examples are more correctly called either mere or patu pounamu. Mere is the word used for a short broad-bladed weapon in the shape of a tear drop and refers to the greenstone type. Pounamu is the word for greenstone and Patu is a descriptive word that means club or pounder used for striking, hitting, beating or to subdue. The word patu is used along with the material, such as Patu paraoa for whalebone. The darker more gray examples, in this report, are called patu onewa. Onewa refers to the more common dark stone called greywacke.

Two greenstone Maori short "club" fighting weapons.
PRIVATE COLLECTION
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
GREENSTONE "HAND CLUBS"
(PATU POUNAMU)
MAORI CULTURE, NEW ZEALAND

    Both of these patu pounamu were probably made sometime in the 1900's. The larger mere on the left is inscribed on one side in white ink with, "From New Zealand, Matthew Cowley Missionary----1928-1952, Maori-Club." Mr. Cowley was a Mormon missionary who was born in Idaho. He learned the Maori language and wrote his diaries in Maori. His most remarkable achievement was a revision of the Maori text of "The Book Of Mormon." He first arrived in Auckland in 1914 and preached in a Mormon mission until 1919 when he left to attend the George Washington law school. He later returned to New Zealand in 1938 until 1945. He died in 1953. This patu pounamu "club" may have been a gift for his time spent in New Zealand. This "club" is made of a lighter color greenstone and it measures 16 7/16 inches (41.8 cm) long, 4 5/8 inches (11.8 cm) wide and 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) thick at the center of the blade. The hole was drilled through from one side in a non-traditional way. But it appears to have been done in a primitive way that left ridges of rings on the surface of the interior wall.
   The patu pounamu "club" on the right was made from a beautiful dark green and semi-translucent colored greenstone. Although small, the hole seems to have been drilled traditionally from both sides in an hourglass shape. There is considerable damage on a large area of the end of the blade that was restored. This "club" measures 11 11/16 inches (29.7 cm) long, 3 5/8 inches (9.2 cm) wide, and 5/8 inch (1/6 cm) thick at the center of the blade.

    The Maori considered greenstone the most highly prized of all stones. Their most valued personal wealth was considered to be their worked and unworked greenstone made into adzes, clubs and ornaments, plus finely woven flax garments and canoes. Maori tradition developed a mythical origin for greenstone and a certain quality of life. A Maori named Te Otatu once remarked, "let the gold be worked by the white man. It was not a thing known by our ancestors. My only treasure is the pounamu (greenstone)." The stone has been referred to as greenstone, nephrite, jade, jadeite, green talc, and bowenite, plus several native names. There are different types of New Zealand greenstone. The hardest variety of nephrite was the most desired for tools.

    Patu onewa "dark stone clubs" were made from the more common and softer stone called greywacke. Greywacke is a type of sedimentary rock that is found in many areas of New Zealand. More "stone clubs" were made from greywacke, prior to European contact, than greenstone because it was readily available and easier to work. In outline, the two different types of stone clubs are basically the same. The difference is in their thickness. The greywacke "clubs" were made slightly thicker so they could withstand rough treatment. The material density of the greenstone "clubs" allowed them to be much thinner.

Three views of a dark-stone Maori fighting "club."
PRIVATE COLLECTION
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
DARK-STONE "CLUB"
(PATU ONEWA)

MAORI CULTURE, NEW ZEALAND

    This patu onewa, dark stone "club," appears to be fairly old. It does have a good original patina and there is a couple of large flakes missing from the end of the blade. It has a large biconically drilled hole and a typical raised ridge design on the end of the handle. It measures 13 3/16 inches (33.5 cm) long, 3 11/16 inches (9.3 cm) wide and 13/16 inch (2.1 cm) thick.

     Patu pounamu (greenstone clubs) were considered special objects. Maori tradition developed a mythical origin for greenstone and a certain quality of life. The extreme hardness of the best quality greenstone also required a craftsman to invest many years of labor to complete a single mere or patu pounamu. Some "greenstone clubs" are reported to have taken several years or even a generation to produce. They were made in the same way other ground and polished stone tools were made. The difference is that each manufacturing step took such an extraordinary amount of time to complete compared to other much less harder stones.

Two "recent" Maori greenstone fighting "clubs."
PRIVATE COLLECTION
"RECENT" GREENSTONE "CLUBS"
(PATU POUNAMU)

MAORI CULTURE, NEW ZEALAND

    Both of these greenstone "club" appear to be of recent manufacture. The example on the left has a peculiar matt finish and the example on the right is very small. Maori style stone "clubs" are still being made in all sizes with modern tools.

     All mere and stone patu "clubs" have one hole drilled through the end of the handle. A thong of dog hide was looped through the hole and attached securely to the hand, thumb, and wrist. Early accounts describe a type of cord drill that was used to drill the holes, later accounts, after European contact, report that the pump drill was introduced. The cord drill assembly includes a shaft, two rocks of equal weight, a stone bit, and a cord. The rocks acted as a flywheel. It would seem that the cords would have needed two people to operate, pulling from each side, but some accounts claim it was used by a single person. Some of the early reports claim a wooden bit was used to drill the holes, but several tribes are recorded to have described only stone bits were used. A short "spike" of quartz is described in one account. As the shaft was turned, water and quartz sand was added to the drilling process. The hole was drilled to the center of the handle then turned and drilled from the opposite side. The holes have wide diameters on the surface but narrow to an hourglass shape towards the center.

Drwaing of a Maori type of cord drill.
ILLUSTRATION FROM 1894 SMITHSONIAN ANNUAL REPORT, COMPUTER ALTERED BY PETE BOSTROM
CORD DRILL
MAORI CULTURE
NEW ZEALAND

     This picture shows a drawing of an example of the type of drill that was used by the Maori to drill the holes in their "stone clubs." All mere and stone patu "clubs" have one hole drilled through the end of the handle. A thong of dog hide was looped through the hole and attached securely to the hand and wrist. Early accounts describe a type of cord drill was used to drill the holes, later accounts, after European contact, report that the pump drill was introduced. The cord drill assembly includes a shaft, two rocks of equal weight, a stone bit, and a cord. The rocks acted as a flywheel. It would seem that the cords would have needed two people to operate, pulling from each side, but some accounts claim it was used by a single person. Some of the early reports claim that a wooden bit was used to drill the holes, but several tribes are recorded to have described only stone bits were used. A short "spike" of quartz is described in one account. As the shaft was turned, water and quartz sand was added to the drilling process. The hole was drilled to the center of the handle then turned and drilled from the opposite side. The holes have wide diameters on the surface but narrow to an hourglass shape towards the center.

     The Maori of New Zealand developed an extraordinary society from a simple beginning to a highly developed culture by the time of Captain Cook's arrival. The people originally lived on moa birds, sweet potatoes and taro. Their most notable loss of a natural resource was the moa, after 400 years of hunting. It's an old trend-line, as natural resources disappear and populations increase, the people become more war-like. Sometimes unique weapons begin to appear, like the Mataa spears on Easter Island and of course, in this case, we have the wonderful examples of patu pounamu and patu onewa. They are brave men's weapons from a time long ago.

"REFERENCES"

1784-1886, from account of Captain Cook's first voyage within bound text published in 80 parts, George William Anderson, "---Complete Collection Of Voyages Round The World---Captain Cook's First, Second, Third And Last Voyages,---" p. 45-46.
1870
, Huxley, Professor & Busk, George, "The Journal Of The Ethnological Society Of London V2: Session 1869-70, p. 106-109
1894
, McGuire, J. D., "A study Of The Primitive Methods Of Drilling," Annual Report Of The Board Of Regents Of The Smithsonian Institution, pp. 714-715.
1912
, Best, Elsdon, "The Stone Implements Of The Maori," p. 68.
1945
, Mead, Margaret, "The Maoris And Their Arts", p. 21.
1952
, Hiroa, Te Rangi, "The Coming Of The Maori," pp. 271-281.
1964
, T. Barrow, "The Decorative Arts Of The New Zealand Maori, p. 38.
1967
, Archey, Gilbert, "South Sea Folk, Handbook Of Maori And Oceanic Ethnology," pp. 35-39.
1971
, Pearce, G. L., "Greenstone, The Story Of New Zealand Jade," p. 49.
1995
, Meyer, Anthony JP, "Oceanic Art, Vol. II, p. 546.
2000
, Lal, Brij V., & Fortune, Kate, "The Pacific Islands, An Encyclopedia," pp. 114 & 149.
2010
, Starzecka, Dorota C., Neich, Roger & Pendergrast, Mick, "The Maori Collections Of The British Mueum, pp. 74-89.
Personal Communication
, Dennis Vesper.

RECENT LISTINGS    HOME    ORDERING