Taiaha
Encyclopedia
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
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It is a wooden, or sometimes whale bone, close quarters, staff weapon used for short sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with quick footwork on the part of the wielder. Taiaha are usually between 5 to 6 ft (1.5 to 1.8 ) in length. They have three main parts: the arero (tongue), used for stabbing the opponent and parrying, the upoko (head), the base from which the tongue protrudes, and the ate (liver) or tinana (body), the long flat blade which is also used for striking and parrying.
Use
Mau rakauMau rakau
Mau rākau, meaning "to bear a weapon", is a martial art based on traditional Māori weapons.-Weapons:Mau rākau is a general term referring to the skilled use of weapons. It is said that the use of weapons was taught in the Whare-tū-taua...
is the martial art that teaches the use of the taiaha and other Māori weapons in combat. As with other martial arts styles, students of the taiaha spends years mastering the skills of timing, balance and co-ordination necessary to wield the weapon effectively. The taiaha is widely known due to its use in the wero — the traditional Māori challenge during the Pōwhiri
Powhiri
A Pōwhiri is a Māori welcoming ceremony involving speeches, dancing, singing and finally the hongi...
(formal welcoming ceremony). A wero is commonly given to heads of state and visiting dignitaries welcomed to New Zealand.
The taiaha is one of many cultural items which are used to introduce youngsters in school to Māori culture. They are also used in present-day kapa haka
Kapa haka
The term Kapa haka is commonly known in Aotearoa as 'Maori Performing Arts' or the 'cultural dance' of Maori people...
competitions, and training with the taiaha is seen as part of the Māori cultural revival.
Popular culture
- The New Zealand ArmyNew Zealand ArmyThe New Zealand Army , is the land component of the New Zealand Defence Force and comprises around 4,500 Regular Force personnel, 2,000 Territorial Force personnel and 500 civilians. Formerly the New Zealand Military Forces, the current name was adopted around 1946...
includes an image of a taiaha in its official badge, - The coat of arms of New ZealandCoat of arms of New ZealandThe coat of arms of New Zealand is the official symbol of New Zealand. The initial coat of arms was granted by King George V on the 26 August 1911, and the current version was granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956.-History and design:...
depicts a Māori warrior with a taiaha. - The taiaha was featured in the award-winning 2002 film, Whale Rider and more briefly in the film Once Were WarriorsOnce Were Warriors (film)Once Were Warriors is a 1994 film based on New Zealand author Alan Duff's bestselling 1990 first novel. The film tells the story of an urban Māori family, the Hekes, and their problems with poverty, alcoholism and domestic violence, mostly brought on by family patriarch Jake...
. - In the TV series, Deadliest WarriorDeadliest WarriorDeadliest Warrior is a television program in which information on historical or modern warriors and their weapons are used to determine which of them is the "deadliest" based upon tests performed during each episode...
, the taiaha is one of the Māori warrior's weapons is a contest with a Shaolin monk. - The taiaha was also featured in two video games for the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, The Mark of KriThe Mark of KriThe Mark of Kri is an action-adventure game developed by SCE San Diego Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The game was released for the PlayStation 2 on July 19, 2002 in North America, March 14, 2003 in Europe and October 23, 2003 in Japan....
and its sequel Rise of the KasaiRise of the KasaiRise of the Kasai is an action game developed by BottleRocket Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America for the PlayStation 2 video game console. Released in 2005, the game serves as a followup to the 2002 game The Mark of Kri...
as a weapon for the games' hero, Rau. In The Mark of Kri, the taiaha is plunged into the ground but, in Māori culture, this is an offense as the taiaha itself is seen as a guardian ancestor related to the War God TumatauengaTumatauengaIn Māori mythology, Tū or Tūmatauenga is one of the great gods, and the origin of war. All war-parties were dedicated to him, and he was treated with the greatest respect and awe. He is usually a son of the primordial parent, sky and earth...
, the Father of the first man TikiTikiTiki refers to large wood and stone carvings of humanoid forms in Central Eastern Polynesian cultures of the Pacific Ocean. The term is also used in Māori mythology where Tiki is the first man, created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond – she seduced him...
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See also
Other Māori weapons:- Mere (weapon)Mere (weapon)The mere is a type of short, broad-bladed club , usually made from Nephrite jade . A mere is one of the traditional, close combat, one-handed weapons of the indigenous Māori, of New Zealand. A mere could be used to split a skull open.- Form :The Mere is a spatulate, leaf shaped, form of short club...
- KotiateKotiateKotiate 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...
- TewhatewhaTewhatewhaA tewhatewha is a long-handled Māori club weapon. It is shaped like an axe and, once formerly used in battle, is now used in ceremonies. Like Pouwhenua and Taiaha, this long club was designed for scientific sparring and lightning strokes and thrusts, aided by quick footwork on the part of the...
- PatuPatuA patu is a generic term for a club or pounder used by the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. The word patu in the Māori language means to strike, hit, beat, or subdue. .- Weapons :...
- PouwhenuaPouwhenuaPouwhenua or pou whenua , are carved, wooden posts, or are fighting staffs used by Maori, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand. Pou whenua are wooden posts that mark territorial boundaries or places of significance. They are generally artistically and elaborately carved and can be found throughout...
- WahaikaWahaikaWahaika is a type of traditional hand weapon of the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.A wahaika is a short club normally made of wood or whalebone. Its name can be translated to mean "the mouth of the fish". The club has a notch on one side which is used to catch an opponent's weapon...