| Brief Description |
Tewhatewha have a blade at one end that tapers to a spear point at the other. This weapon, swung with beautiful but deadly grace, was usually wielded by a rangatira (chief). Sometimes, movements were used to signal the next battle formation. Made of hard wood, this smaller than usual example was recently identified as a katiware, or a tewhatewha used by wāhine (women).
The handle is carved with a stylized human head from a third of the way up and has notched designs extending as far as the blade. The square suspension hole on the blade would have once contained a bundle of kahu feathers for decoration, to enable the signals to be seen more easily and to distract an opponent.
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