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Overview
A taiaha is a hand weapon usually made from hard wood, or sometimes whale bone, and usually about 1.5 metres long. Taiaha have one end carved in the shape of an upoko (head) with a face on each side. The eyes of the two faces see all around, reflecting the alertness of the taiaha exponent. An arero (tongue) protruding from the upoko forms one end of the weapon. The upoko is adorned with a tauri (collar) of feathers and/or dog hair, the tassels of which form the awe. Below this, the tinana (body) provides the grip. The other end of the taiaha has a flat smooth blade, or rau, usually about five to seven centimetres wide, which is the main striking blade.
Significance
The name of this taiaha is Te Ringa Mahi Kai (the hand of a food provider). The name comes from an incident around 1820 when armed Ngā Puhi invaders were repulsed by the Whanganui tribes. After being struck with the taiaha, Tuwhare the Ngā Puhi chief insulted Te Hamarama by calling out 'te ringa mahi kai' (rather than the hand of a warrior). Tuwhare later died on the return journey home.
Te Ringa Mahi Kai is most closely associated with the Whanganui River sub-tribes Ngāti Pāmoana and Ngāti Hine o te Rā. It belonged to Te Ha Marama, a celebrated leader and fighting chief who came from Otoko, just north of Wanganui. But it also has connections to all the tribes of the Whanganui River from Mt Tongariro to the sea. It symbolises their mana (prestige) and ability to withstand numerous assaults from enemy tribes coming overland from the interior of the North Island and upriver from the coast.
History
Te Ringa Mahi Kai is this taiaha's given name, but its original name was Te Waha o te Marangai (the fury of the tempest). A local saying records how Te Ha Marama was capable of unleashing that fury:
Ko Te Waha o te Marangai te rākau
Ko Te Ha Marama te tangata
(As Te Waha o te Marangai is the weapon
So too is Te Ha Marama its chief exponent!)