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Taiaha
Maori taiaha or challenge stick, one end is pointed, carved and decorated with hair, feathers and red cloth. The other end is a flattened paddle shape.
The carved end represents an ancestor head, with the protruding tongue being an important representation of male prowess, virility and 'mana' or power. Ancestors were personal to each weapon's owner and connected him to the power of his history and roots in the landscape. The hair, feathers and cloth added 'mana' but also acted to absorb the blood produced in combat. The flattened end was used to strike an opponent, like a club.
The taiaha was collected by Jane Franklin, while her husband, Sir John Franklin, was governor of Van Diemens Land (Tasmania). It is mounted as part of a trophy with Australian Aboriginal bows and a shield.
The carved end represents an ancestor head, with the protruding tongue being an important representation of male prowess, virility and 'mana' or power. Ancestors were personal to each weapon's owner and connected him to the power of his history and roots in the landscape. The hair, feathers and cloth added 'mana' but also acted to absorb the blood produced in combat. The flattened end was used to strike an opponent, like a club.
The taiaha was collected by Jane Franklin, while her husband, Sir John Franklin, was governor of Van Diemens Land (Tasmania). It is mounted as part of a trophy with Australian Aboriginal bows and a shield.
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Object Details
| ID: | AAA3760 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Taiaha |
| Display location: | Not on display |
| Date made: | 1837-1843; 1837-43 |
| Credit: | On loan to the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, from the Hopton Hall Derbyshire Collection. Kindly lent by the Gell Muniment Trustees |
| Measurements: | Overall: 35 x 1575 x 75 mm |
| Parts: | Trophy of Aboriginal and Maori Implements (Trophy) |