The notches on either side would become entangled in the intestines and as it was removed the damage would almost always be fatal. In combat a warrior would thrust it into the abdomen of his adversary and twist it. It was traditionally made from wood or stone. The Kotiate is an unusual weapon, but very unique and very dangerous. The Kotiate were prized weapons on the battlefield, as well as being favored by many chiefs during speech making. They were held at the end by a thong of dogs skin looped through the handle and securely around the hand. It is believed the small ridge on the blade side was to trap the opponents weapon thereby disarming him. The Wahaika was a short weapon used for close quarter fighting only, with thrusts and jabs. Depending on your operating system you may have to prevent Windows from fitting the whole picture into one window by clicking on the full size "ball" that appears when you hover over the picture. We have a blow up photo of our Taiaha so that you can use the scroll bar at the bottom of the picture to scroll along the full length of the Taiaha. Such a blow could cave in the top of a skull and kill instantly. A favoured ploy was to feint an attack on an enemy's torso or face with the tongue end of the Taiaha, then when the opponent recoiled, reverse arms and strike at the top of his skull with the edge of the Rau. All the while guarding themselves against an attack. During fighting, feints and passes were constantly employed, and experienced fighters continually repositioned themselves hoping to detect an opening for a strike. When advancing to engage an opponent a warrior often assumed a guard, with the Taiaha held either vertically or slightly diagonally across the body, the blade uppermost and the arero facing the ground. The arero formed the extreme end of the weapon. Last is the Proximal end, with an arero or tongue extending out from the mouth in the Maori gesture of defiance. ![]() Second is the shaft which is oval in cross section. The first is Rau, or long striking blade usually between 6 and 7cm wide. ![]() It is best described best in three sections. It varied considerably in length from 1.2 to 1.9 meters and was made from a light wood or sometimes even whale bone. In reality this couldn’t be further from the truth. Here in the store it is regularly mistaken for a spear. The spear shaped Taiaha is the best known of the Maori weapons.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |