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Short Club (Wahaika)

mid 1800s
wood
Overall: 35.6 cm (14 in.)
The Mary Spedding Milliken Memorial Collection, Gift of William Mathewson Milliken 1964.455
Location: not on view
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Description

The wahaika, carried in a belt, was used by the Maori in hand-to-hand combat. Early, undecorated clubs were made of stone. Bone and wood clubs were decorated with increasingly complex carved designs. The small figure clinging to the side of this club may well represent the supernatural power (mana) of the weapon, while the face at the end of the grip expresses the aggression of combat.
Short Club (Wahaika)

Short Club (Wahaika)

mid 1800s

Polynesia, New Zealand, Maori people, mid-19th Century

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