MAORI SHORT CLUBS (PATA FORM)

VANDOO · 26th May 2010, 01:27 AM

THE MOST SIMPLE FORM AND I SUSPECT THE CLUB THE OTHERS EVOLVED FROM IS THE PATA. THIS CLUB HAS MORE EXAMPLES MADE OF STONE THAN THE OTHERS AND ALL OLD ONES HAVE NO ARTISTIC DECORATION OR VERY LITTLE CONSISTING OF GROVES CUT AT THE END OF THE GRIP. SOME OF THE NEWER ONES DO HAVE DECORATIVE CARVING BUT STILL MAINTAIN THE PROPER FORM AND SHAPE. THEY ARE MADE FROM WOOD, WHALE BONE AND VARIOUS TYPES OF STONE AND RANGE IN THE SAME SIZES AS THE OTHER FORMS. THE ONES MADE OF JADE ARE THE ONLY ONES REFERRED TO AS MERE, ALL OTHERS ARE REFERRED TO AS PATA (FOLLOWED BY THE WORD FOR THE MATERIAL USED WOOD, WHALEBONE OR STONE).

THE MERE (JADE) WAS THE MOST DESIRED AND PRESTIGIOUS CLUB. JADE IS THE TOUGHEST OF STONES AND DOES NOT BREAK, SHATTER OR CHIP EASILY SO IS SUPERIOR TO ALL OTHERS NOT TO MENTION VERY BEAUTIFUL. JADE IS VERY DIFFICULT TO WORK AND IS UNCOMMON. IT TAKES A LOT MORE WORK AS WELL AS TIME TO MAKE ONE SO ONLY THE ELITE OR CHIEF WOULD BE LIKELY TO OWN ONE. I SUSPECT A WARRIOR COULD AQUIRE ONE IN BATTLE IF HE COULD KILL OR DEFEAT A CHIEF OR WARRIOR WHO HAD ONE. THERE ARE STORIES OF WARRIORS WHO WERE CAPTURED ASKING FOR THE HONOR OF BEING KILLED WITH THE MERE AS IT WAS HELD IN SUCH HIGH REGARD AND HAD SO MUCH MANA.

(CONJECTURE FOLLOWS) I SUSPECT THE PATA FORM OF CLUB REPRESENTS THE HUMAN TONGUE. THE REASON FOR THIS IDEA IS THE IMPORTANCE PLACED BY THE MAORI ON THE TONGUE. IN THE TERRITORIAL THREAT DISPLAY DANCE HAKA THE EYES ARE BUGGED AND THE TONGUE THRUST OUT. THE HAKA IS VERY AGRESSIVE IN ITS MOVEMENTS, EXPRESSIONS AND SHOUTS OR CHANTS. THE TONGUE BEING THRUST OUT BEING THE ULTIMATE THREAT. THE CARVINGS AND THE END OF THE LONG WEAPON FEATURES A TIKI WITH TONGUE THRUST OUT AS A RECURING THEME.
THREAT DISPLAYS ARE COMMON IN ALL ANIMAL SPECIES USUALLY OVER TERRITORY, FOOD OR FEMALES.
MY ANCESTORS PAINTED THEMSELVES BLUE AND WENT TO WAR NAKED, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THEIR HAKA WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE.

VANDOO · 26th May 2010, 08:57 PM

A FEW MORE. THE TAIAHA IS A LONG WEAPON AND ILLISTRATES THE PATA SHAPED STRIKING EDGE AND END OF THE LONG CLUB AS WELL AS THE TIKI WITH ITS TONGUE STICKING OUT AT THE SPEAR END.

migueldiaz · 27th May 2010, 02:22 PM

Amazing! Thanks, Vandoo

VANDOO · 27th May 2010, 04:49 PM

A PICTURE OF BOTH ENDS OF THE TAIAHA (SPEAR END AND STRIKING END) AND A PIC. OF A WARRIORS HAKA

fearn · 27th May 2010, 07:20 PM

Hi Vandoo,

It's possible that the pata was a tongue, but I think something else is going on there.

For one thing, I remember that the archeologists dug up a whalebone pata somewhere around Tahiti, so we can argue that it's an old (but useful) design, sort of like the leaf-shaped knife blade.

The bigger issue is material. For whatever reason, we don't really see stone spearheads in Polynesian or Micronesian culture, except on Easter Island where they were an independent development. I'm not sure why this is the case, but I'm willing to bet it's that there's a fundamental problem with grinding sharp stone points out of basalt, jade, or whalebone (same process, different materials).

Since a pata is supposed to have a sharpish edge and they thrust with it, I bet that the axehead-like edge is a compromise that is effective when blunt, and more effective when sharp, especially when you target it properly. It's also good for chopping/smashing, on the same principle.

I also recall that some tribe went to war to capture a mere a one point, and they were named too. I don't know the details, but they were so valuable that I would be surprised if it wasn't the case.

Best,

F

VANDOO · 29th May 2010, 05:36 AM

YOU ARE CORRECT THAT MOST OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS DIDN'T HAVE THE PROPER ROCK THAT WOULD FLAKE AND ALL SHAPEING HAD TO BE DONE BY SPLITTING ,CUTTING AND GRINDING. LAVA, BASALT,SERPENTINE AND IN SOME AREAS GRANITE WERE THE ONES MOST COMMONLY FOUND. MOST STONE CUTTING TOOLS WERE IN THE COMMON CELT FORM AND WERE HAFTED, I WILL SHOW A MAORI JADE EXAMPLE. EXAMPLES OF GROUND POINTS ASIAN GROUND SLATE DAGGERS. ESKIMO GROUND SLATE ULU KNIFE. AND A OLD NEW GUINEA STONE AX HEAD LIKELY FROM MOUNT HAGEN (IT IS THE CLOSEST IN SHAPE AND SIZE I CAN COME TO A MAORI PATA)

NO DOUBT THE PATA SHAPE SPREAD THRUOUT POLYNESIA THERE IS A WOODEN FORM WITH A ROUNDED TIP FOUND ON EASTER ISLAND (SEE PIC. OF 18 INCH LONG EXAMPLE). THATS A LONG WAY FROM NEW ZEALAND OR TAHITI. GROUND SLATE WEAPONS, CEREMONIAL OBJECTS AND JEWLRY WERE FOUND IN NORTH AMERICA AS WELL.
THE CONJECTURE THAT THE PATA MAY REPRESENT THE TONGUE WAS A CONTROVERSIAL COMMENT TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY LURKERS OR MEMBERS WITH A LOT OF KNOWLEGE IN THE FIELD FOR A REBUTTEL. EVIDENTLY NOT

26th May 2010, 01:27 AM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	MAORI SHORT CLUBS (PATA FORM) THE MOST SIMPLE FORM AND I SUSPECT THE CLUB THE OTHERS EVOLVED FROM IS THE PATA. THIS CLUB HAS MORE EXAMPLES MADE OF STONE THAN THE OTHERS AND ALL OLD ONES HAVE NO ARTISTIC DECORATION OR VERY LITTLE CONSISTING OF GROVES CUT AT THE END OF THE GRIP. SOME OF THE NEWER ONES DO HAVE DECORATIVE CARVING BUT STILL MAINTAIN THE PROPER FORM AND SHAPE. THEY ARE MADE FROM WOOD, WHALE BONE AND VARIOUS TYPES OF STONE AND RANGE IN THE SAME SIZES AS THE OTHER FORMS. THE ONES MADE OF JADE ARE THE ONLY ONES REFERRED TO AS MERE, ALL OTHERS ARE REFERRED TO AS PATA (FOLLOWED BY THE WORD FOR THE MATERIAL USED WOOD, WHALEBONE OR STONE). THE MERE (JADE) WAS THE MOST DESIRED AND PRESTIGIOUS CLUB. JADE IS THE TOUGHEST OF STONES AND DOES NOT BREAK, SHATTER OR CHIP EASILY SO IS SUPERIOR TO ALL OTHERS NOT TO MENTION VERY BEAUTIFUL. JADE IS VERY DIFFICULT TO WORK AND IS UNCOMMON. IT TAKES A LOT MORE WORK AS WELL AS TIME TO MAKE ONE SO ONLY THE ELITE OR CHIEF WOULD BE LIKELY TO OWN ONE. I SUSPECT A WARRIOR COULD AQUIRE ONE IN BATTLE IF HE COULD KILL OR DEFEAT A CHIEF OR WARRIOR WHO HAD ONE. THERE ARE STORIES OF WARRIORS WHO WERE CAPTURED ASKING FOR THE HONOR OF BEING KILLED WITH THE MERE AS IT WAS HELD IN SUCH HIGH REGARD AND HAD SO MUCH MANA. (CONJECTURE FOLLOWS) I SUSPECT THE PATA FORM OF CLUB REPRESENTS THE HUMAN TONGUE. THE REASON FOR THIS IDEA IS THE IMPORTANCE PLACED BY THE MAORI ON THE TONGUE. IN THE TERRITORIAL THREAT DISPLAY DANCE HAKA THE EYES ARE BUGGED AND THE TONGUE THRUST OUT. THE HAKA IS VERY AGRESSIVE IN ITS MOVEMENTS, EXPRESSIONS AND SHOUTS OR CHANTS. THE TONGUE BEING THRUST OUT BEING THE ULTIMATE THREAT. THE CARVINGS AND THE END OF THE LONG WEAPON FEATURES A TIKI WITH TONGUE THRUST OUT AS A RECURING THEME. THREAT DISPLAYS ARE COMMON IN ALL ANIMAL SPECIES USUALLY OVER TERRITORY, FOOD OR FEMALES. MY ANCESTORS PAINTED THEMSELVES BLUE AND WENT TO WAR NAKED, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THEIR HAKA WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 26th May 2010 at 01:58 AM.

26th May 2010, 08:57 PM	#2
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	A FEW MORE. THE TAIAHA IS A LONG WEAPON AND ILLISTRATES THE PATA SHAPED STRIKING EDGE AND END OF THE LONG CLUB AS WELL AS THE TIKI WITH ITS TONGUE STICKING OUT AT THE SPEAR END. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 26th May 2010 at 09:17 PM.

27th May 2010, 04:49 PM	#4
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	A PICTURE OF BOTH ENDS OF THE TAIAHA (SPEAR END AND STRIKING END) AND A PIC. OF A WARRIORS HAKA Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 27th May 2010 at 06:08 PM.

29th May 2010, 05:36 AM	#6
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	YOU ARE CORRECT THAT MOST OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS DIDN'T HAVE THE PROPER ROCK THAT WOULD FLAKE AND ALL SHAPEING HAD TO BE DONE BY SPLITTING ,CUTTING AND GRINDING. LAVA, BASALT,SERPENTINE AND IN SOME AREAS GRANITE WERE THE ONES MOST COMMONLY FOUND. MOST STONE CUTTING TOOLS WERE IN THE COMMON CELT FORM AND WERE HAFTED, I WILL SHOW A MAORI JADE EXAMPLE. EXAMPLES OF GROUND POINTS ASIAN GROUND SLATE DAGGERS. ESKIMO GROUND SLATE ULU KNIFE. AND A OLD NEW GUINEA STONE AX HEAD LIKELY FROM MOUNT HAGEN (IT IS THE CLOSEST IN SHAPE AND SIZE I CAN COME TO A MAORI PATA) NO DOUBT THE PATA SHAPE SPREAD THRUOUT POLYNESIA THERE IS A WOODEN FORM WITH A ROUNDED TIP FOUND ON EASTER ISLAND (SEE PIC. OF 18 INCH LONG EXAMPLE). THATS A LONG WAY FROM NEW ZEALAND OR TAHITI. GROUND SLATE WEAPONS, CEREMONIAL OBJECTS AND JEWLRY WERE FOUND IN NORTH AMERICA AS WELL. THE CONJECTURE THAT THE PATA MAY REPRESENT THE TONGUE WAS A CONTROVERSIAL COMMENT TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY LURKERS OR MEMBERS WITH A LOT OF KNOWLEGE IN THE FIELD FOR A REBUTTEL. EVIDENTLY NOT Attached Images

27th May 2010, 02:22 PM	#3
migueldiaz Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Manila, Phils. Posts: 1,042	Amazing! Thanks, Vandoo

27th May 2010, 07:20 PM	#5
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Hi Vandoo, It's possible that the pata was a tongue, but I think something else is going on there. For one thing, I remember that the archeologists dug up a whalebone pata somewhere around Tahiti, so we can argue that it's an old (but useful) design, sort of like the leaf-shaped knife blade. The bigger issue is material. For whatever reason, we don't really see stone spearheads in Polynesian or Micronesian culture, except on Easter Island where they were an independent development. I'm not sure why this is the case, but I'm willing to bet it's that there's a fundamental problem with grinding sharp stone points out of basalt, jade, or whalebone (same process, different materials). Since a pata is supposed to have a sharpish edge and they thrust with it, I bet that the axehead-like edge is a compromise that is effective when blunt, and more effective when sharp, especially when you target it properly. It's also good for chopping/smashing, on the same principle. I also recall that some tribe went to war to capture a mere a one point, and they were named too. I don't know the details, but they were so valuable that I would be surprised if it wasn't the case. Best, F