Taiaha (long fighting weapon), belonged to Titokowaru.

item details

NameTaiaha (long fighting weapon), belonged to Titokowaru.

ProductionUnknown; carver; 1800-1850; New Zealand

Classificationedged weapons, taiaha

Materialswood

Techniquescarving

DimensionsOverall: 63mm (width), 1720mm (length), 25mm (depth), 767.7g (weight)

Registration NumberME002380

Credit lineSir Walter Buller Collection. Gift of W. Leo Buller, 1911

Overview

This extract originally appeared in Te Ata o Tū The Shadow of Tūmatauenga: The New Zealand Wars Collections of Te Papa (Te Papa Press, 2024) on page 252.
This extract was authored by Matiu Baker.

This taiaha belonged to Riwha Tītokowaru. It is unusual in that it has a broken upoko, which has been reaffixed and lashed to the neck. Tītokowaru is known to have had a special taiaha, named Te Porohanga, that he used as a divining staff when selecting his trusted council of 12, the tekau-mā-rua. A taiaha – often mistakenly referred to as a spear, but never thrown – is a highly effective two-handed, long-bladed striking and thrusting weapon. The name Te Porohanga can be translated as ‘to be dispatched’, and it is difficult to resist the suggestion that this taonga might indeed be Tītokowaru’s revered Te Porohanga.