A tewhatewha is a long-handled Māori club weapon shaped like an axe. Designed to be held in two hands, the weapon comes to a mata (point) at one end and a rapa (broad, quarter-round head) at the other.

This unidentified chief, possibly from the Whanganui region, holds a tewhatewha, the two-handed weapon used for both fighting and signalling during battle. Below its distinctive axe-blade-type head is a bunch of feathers, for confusing an opponent in …

A tewhatewha is a long-handled Māori club weapon shaped like an axe. Designed to be held in two hands, the weapon comes to a mata (point) at one end and a rapa (broad, quarter-round head) at the other.

Tewhatewha Rākau Māori (Māori weaponry) was designed for hand-to-hand combat. In battle it was common for toa (warriors) to take a long handled weapon such as a taiaha (long-handled fighting staff) and a short weapon such as a patu (club) tucked into a belt.

The best-known two-handed weapons are the taiaha, tewhatewha and pouwhenua. These staffs were usually 1–2 metres in length and were commonly made of hard wood such as maire, rātā or kānuka. A taiaha was elaborately carved, often ornamented …

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The tewhatewha, with its distinctive axe shape, caught the attention of European travelers early on. As noted in “The Old-Time Maori” by Makereti (London, 1938, pp.319-320), the tewhatewha is generally 4 to 5 feet long, and is not unlike an axe in shape.

The tewhatewha is a weapon shaped like an axe with a long handle ending in a point usually with a cluster of feathers suspended just below the blade. It had a dual purpose in battle both as a means of signalling other warriors and also as a highly effective weapon.

Jun 8, 2015 · A tewhatewha is a long-handled staff. Its shape is similar to an axe with a long handle, though it is shaped from a single piece of wood or sometimes bone. The end of the handle is pointed and blows from the axe-like part were …

A Maori long handled club, pronounced 'tefa tefa'. This is a status object of importance spiritually and ritually as well as in warfare. The flat blade would have been used to lead followers in battle, both to signal direction and to direct whether or not to attack. The enemy would have been struck using the thick back.