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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 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.
Kimihia
Kimihia is the famed personal taiaha of Te Rauparaha, one of the outstanding tribal leaders of his generation, and it is named after his paternal grandfather. Te Rauparaha's principal hapū (sub-tribe) is also named after his grandfather. Kimihia remains a symbol of Te Rauparaha's personal mana (chiefly authority and prestige) and identity. Naming the taiaha after his grandfather marked it as a source of power and inspiration that Te Rauparaha could call upon in times of need.
Through the generations
When his son Tamihana Te Rauparaha wrote his father's life story in 1845 he stated that Kimihia was carried by his father from Kawhia during the Ngāti Toa migration to Kapiti (about 1821), and was used by him during the battle of Whakapaetai at Waiōrua, Kapiti Island (1824). It later descended to Tamihana, who bequeathed it to his nephew, James Howard Wallace, who passed it to his daughters - Elsie, Amy, and Elva.
Acquisition
The Wallace family collection, including Kimihia, was deposited with Te Papa's predecessor, the Dominion Museum, in 1943.