"Tuhiwai" mere pounamu (nephrite weapon)

item details

Name"Tuhiwai" mere pounamu (nephrite weapon)

ProductionUnknown; maker/artist; 1500-1800; Otago

Classificationmere pounamu, clubs, edged weapons

Materialskahurangi (stone), pounamu

Materials SummaryWestland source

Techniqueslapidary

DimensionsOverall: 119mm (width), 410mm (length), 25mm (depth), 1103.2g (weight)

Registration NumberME010922

Credit lineGift of the Wineera family, 1963

Overview

Tuhiwai is the famous mere-pounamu (greenstone hand club) of Te Rauparaha, the celebrated warrior chief of Ngāi Toa. It was gifted to him in exchange for the waka taua (war canoe) Wai-ka-hua by the Ngāi Tahu chief Te Matenga Taiaroa. As an example of the pre-European mere-pounamu, Tuhiwai remains unsurpassed in its perfection of form and exquisite manufacture.

Tapu (sacred)
Tuhiwai means to 'strike the water', and it is in this manner that Te Rauparaha is said to have used Tuhiwai to divine the future and guide him in making decisions during his campaigns. Tuhiwai is considered extremely tapu by the Ngāti Toa, and has been known to change colour on the death of a member of the Wineera family, the descendants of Te Rauparaha.

Utu (revenge)
According to one Ngāti Toa legend, Tuhiwai was also the weapon used by Te Rangihaeata during the execution of Captain Arthur Wakefield in April 1843 at the Wairau Affair. The conflict was precipitated by European encroachment onto Ngāti Toa lands on the Wairau plain and resulted in the accidental shooting of Te Rangihaeata's wife, Te Rongopāmamao. Te Rangihaeata, aggrieved at his wife's death, demanded the customary right to execute the prisoners as compensation.

Acquisition
Tutuira Wineera presented Tuhiwai to Te Papa's predecessor, the Dominion Museum, in 1963 on behalf of the Wineera family.