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Large Wahaika
Large Wahaika carved from a south Westland pounamu show beautiful shades of green a landscape of colours though out the pounamu. Measures 14 inch/37 cm.
This weapon was a short club used in hand-to-hand combat. It was usually made of whalebone or wood. The warrior would thrust the weapon at the enemy. A notch on the side was used for catching an opponent's weapon. With a quick flick and twist of the wrist, the opponent could be disarmed. The word Wahaika can be roughly translated to "the mouth of the fish".
The Wahaika was a highly prized weapon as it requires an incredible amount of work to make. They were often passed on from one generation to the next. Warriors who carried a greenstone Wahaika were considered to possess great strength and honour.