kōtaha

Kotaha typically average some 152 cm in length. These wooden dart launchers are often elabourately carved with a contorted figure on one end. The other end had a cord or whip attached to wrap around the shaft of the dart. This would free itself in forward flight when launched. Elsdon Best noted that the term kopere was also used among some tribes to denote the whip sling (dart thrower). Makereti of Te Arawa uses the term kotaha for this weapon. She notes that the kotaha was also made in much heavier form to be worked by two people, as clusters of darts were thrown at a time. This had great effect on open land against a whole body of charging men, as the enemy could not parry the darts with any success, and their solid front was broken up. Barrow says that a favourite Māori sport was the casting of small javelins or darts (teka) of wood by competitive players who shot only for distance.