Cleveland Museum of Art

Short Club (Wahaika)

Date

mid 1800s

Medium

wood

Culture

Polynesia, New Zealand, Maori people, mid-19th Century

Department

Oceania

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The wahaika, carried in a belt, was used by the Maori in hand-to-hand combat. Early, undecorated clubs were made of stone. Bone and wood clubs were decorated with increasingly complex carved designs. The small figure clinging to the side of this club may well represent the supernatural power (mana) of the weapon, while the face at the end of the grip expresses the aggression of combat.

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