Mere (weapon)
Encyclopedia
The mere is a type of short, broad-bladed club
(patu
), usually made from Nephrite jade (Pounamu or greenstone). A mere is one of the traditional, close combat
, one-handed weapon
s of the indigenous Māori, of New Zealand
. A mere could be used to split a skull open.
, form of short club
. It has a broad, rounded apex that narrows to form a handle, terminating in a butt or heel (reke), marked by several grooves. Mere have two convex, almost flat sides and a rounded top. The top of the mere was ground to a sharp edge, extending down both sides of the weapon.
Generally, short clubs had holes carved or drilled through the butt end of the handle, allowing a wrist cord (tau or patui) made of plaited New Zealand flax, or polynesian dog
skin, to be passed through and attached to the wielder's wrist. Passing the wrist cord over the thumb and around the hand prevented the club from slipping during use.
Mere are variable in length, typically between 25 and 50 cm (9.8 and 19.7 ), with an average length of 35 centimetres (13.8 in). The width of a mere is similarly variable, from under 7 to over 12 centimetres (3 to 5 in). The dimensions of a mere were generally determined by the characteristics of the raw materials the club was made from. Extremely long or short mere are unwieldy in combat, and are likely to have been mainly used for ceremonial purposes..
) to refer exclusively to clubs made from Nephrite jade (Pounamu, or greenstone). In other regions, "Mere" was more broadly used to refer to clubs of a similar shape and design, more properly patu
, made from: hardwood (meremere, mere rakau), whalebone (patu paraoa), or stone (patu onewa). In these cases, a distinction is made for mere from greenstone, known as "Mere Pounamu" or "Patu Pounamu".
The pounamu used to make a mere was carefully chosen to be flawless and to have a good colour. A block of greenstone was first rough cut using pieces of quartzite combined with sand and water. Dressing of the surface was done with fine sandstone and pieces of very hard smooth stone. Due to the hardness of greenstone, mere pounamu were able to made thinner than other similar patu made from stone, however this made the process of manufacture slow and arduous. The creation and finishing of a mere pounamu sometimes took more than one generation to complete.
. Held in one hand these close-range striking weapons, were used primarily for end-on thrusting or jabbing (tipi). In combat, jabbing thrusts or strikes would be directed at the ribs, neck or temple
. It has been claimed, that a strike to the skull combined with a twisting flick of the wrist could force or wrench the victims skull open. The designed use of the mere for forward striking thrusts is an unusual characteristic of Maori patu, where in other parts of the world, clubs are generally wielded with an ax-like downward blow.
The butt (reke) of a mere was used to strike (buttstroke
) a victim's head.
While jabbing thrusts were the more common or traditional form of attack, blows were sometimes struck using the edge of the weapon in a downward chopping strike (patu). Mere pounamu made of Nephrite jade measure between 6.0 and 6.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness
. Nephrite is the slightly softer when compared to Jadeite which is the other type of Jade Mere pounamu, the scarcest and most revered of Maori short-clubs, were hard enough to sustain downward chopping blows. However, other more common forms of patu made of wood, stone or bone, were softer and therefore more easily damaged using downward chopping blows.
It was stated that a proficient warrior armed with a patu was able to defeat a man armed with a longer weapon, like a taiaha
or spear. A fighter using a patu often used a type of pad (whakapuru), held or on the off-side arm, used to parry or lessen the impact of an opposing weapon.
When not in use mere were carried in a flax belt (tatua) or sometimes suspended from wrist cord to be able to be hidden beneath a cloak.
). Highly prized, these mere were passed through generations and the weapons were named and said to possess a spiritual quality or mana
of their own.
Particularly special mere were imbued with magical powers, or supernatural qualities, in a similar fashion to mythological magic swords
. Mere were buried with their chiefly owners, but were considered so valuable that they were later recovered from the grave.
It was considered an honour to be killed by a specially significant mere pounamu. Captives would sometimes volunteer their own mere ponaumu as their means of execution rather than be killed by a lesser weapon.
Due to the high value placed on revered mere pounamu they would often be hidden when not in use, and kept in specially constructed cases.. Considerable efforts were undertaken, often by an entire tribe, to recover or regain significant mere that were lost or stolen.
Club (weapon)
A club is among the simplest of all weapons. A club is essentially a short staff, or stick, usually made of wood, and wielded as a weapon since prehistoric times....
(patu
Patu
A patu is a generic term for a club or pounder used by the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. The word patu in the Māori language means to strike, hit, beat, or subdue. .- Weapons :...
), usually made from Nephrite jade (Pounamu or greenstone). A mere is one of the traditional, close combat
Close combat
*Close combat is a generic term for both Close Quarters Battle and Hand to hand combat.*Mêlée generally refers to disorganized close combat.*CQB is an acronym for Close Quarters Battle, such as that which occurs in urban warfare....
, one-handed weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s of the indigenous Māori, of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. A mere could be used to split a skull open.
Form
The Mere is a spatulate, leaf shapedLeaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
, form of short club
Club (weapon)
A club is among the simplest of all weapons. A club is essentially a short staff, or stick, usually made of wood, and wielded as a weapon since prehistoric times....
. It has a broad, rounded apex that narrows to form a handle, terminating in a butt or heel (reke), marked by several grooves. Mere have two convex, almost flat sides and a rounded top. The top of the mere was ground to a sharp edge, extending down both sides of the weapon.
Generally, short clubs had holes carved or drilled through the butt end of the handle, allowing a wrist cord (tau or patui) made of plaited New Zealand flax, or polynesian dog
Kuri
Kuri can refer to:*Kurī, Māori dog*Kuri , West African breed of cattle*Kuri , kitchen in a Zen monastery, Japanese Chestnut*The Kuri subgroup of Yuin–Kuric indigenous Australian languages...
skin, to be passed through and attached to the wielder's wrist. Passing the wrist cord over the thumb and around the hand prevented the club from slipping during use.
Mere are variable in length, typically between 25 and 50 cm (9.8 and 19.7 ), with an average length of 35 centimetres (13.8 in). The width of a mere is similarly variable, from under 7 to over 12 centimetres (3 to 5 in). The dimensions of a mere were generally determined by the characteristics of the raw materials the club was made from. Extremely long or short mere are unwieldy in combat, and are likely to have been mainly used for ceremonial purposes..
Material and manufacture
The term "Mere" was used by some tribes (IwiIwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
) to refer exclusively to clubs made from Nephrite jade (Pounamu, or greenstone). In other regions, "Mere" was more broadly used to refer to clubs of a similar shape and design, more properly patu
Patu
A patu is a generic term for a club or pounder used by the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. The word patu in the Māori language means to strike, hit, beat, or subdue. .- Weapons :...
, made from: hardwood (meremere, mere rakau), whalebone (patu paraoa), or stone (patu onewa). In these cases, a distinction is made for mere from greenstone, known as "Mere Pounamu" or "Patu Pounamu".
The pounamu used to make a mere was carefully chosen to be flawless and to have a good colour. A block of greenstone was first rough cut using pieces of quartzite combined with sand and water. Dressing of the surface was done with fine sandstone and pieces of very hard smooth stone. Due to the hardness of greenstone, mere pounamu were able to made thinner than other similar patu made from stone, however this made the process of manufacture slow and arduous. The creation and finishing of a mere pounamu sometimes took more than one generation to complete.
Usage
Combat
Mere, and other patu, were used for close-quarter fightingClose combat
*Close combat is a generic term for both Close Quarters Battle and Hand to hand combat.*Mêlée generally refers to disorganized close combat.*CQB is an acronym for Close Quarters Battle, such as that which occurs in urban warfare....
. Held in one hand these close-range striking weapons, were used primarily for end-on thrusting or jabbing (tipi). In combat, jabbing thrusts or strikes would be directed at the ribs, neck or temple
Head and neck anatomy
Head and neck anatomy focuses on the structures of the head and neck of the human body, including the brain, bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, glands, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, and throat...
. It has been claimed, that a strike to the skull combined with a twisting flick of the wrist could force or wrench the victims skull open. The designed use of the mere for forward striking thrusts is an unusual characteristic of Maori patu, where in other parts of the world, clubs are generally wielded with an ax-like downward blow.
The butt (reke) of a mere was used to strike (buttstroke
Buttstroke
The buttstroke or butt-stroking, i.e., striking someone with the buttstock of a rifle, is a common case of the use of a firearm as a blunt weapon. Buttstroke is among the major offensive techniques with the rifle and bayonet...
) a victim's head.
While jabbing thrusts were the more common or traditional form of attack, blows were sometimes struck using the edge of the weapon in a downward chopping strike (patu). Mere pounamu made of Nephrite jade measure between 6.0 and 6.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness
Mohs scale of mineral hardness
The Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material. It was created in 1812 by the German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs and is one of several definitions of hardness in...
. Nephrite is the slightly softer when compared to Jadeite which is the other type of Jade Mere pounamu, the scarcest and most revered of Maori short-clubs, were hard enough to sustain downward chopping blows. However, other more common forms of patu made of wood, stone or bone, were softer and therefore more easily damaged using downward chopping blows.
It was stated that a proficient warrior armed with a patu was able to defeat a man armed with a longer weapon, like a taiaha
Taiaha
A Taiaha is a traditional weapon of the Māori of New Zealand.It is a wooden, or sometimes whale bone, close quarters, staff weapon used for short sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with quick footwork on the part of the wielder. Taiaha are usually between in length...
or spear. A fighter using a patu often used a type of pad (whakapuru), held or on the off-side arm, used to parry or lessen the impact of an opposing weapon.
When not in use mere were carried in a flax belt (tatua) or sometimes suspended from wrist cord to be able to be hidden beneath a cloak.
Ceremonial
Pounamu was highly prized by Maori and the greenstone patu – mere pounamu – was the most revered of all Maori weapons and seen as a symbol of chieftainship (RangatiraRangatira
Rangatira are the hereditary Māori leaders of hapū, and were described by ethnologists such as Elsdon Best as chieftains . Ideally, rangatira were people of great practical wisdom who held authority on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between a tribe's land and that of other tribes...
). Highly prized, these mere were passed through generations and the weapons were named and said to possess a spiritual quality or mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
of their own.
Particularly special mere were imbued with magical powers, or supernatural qualities, in a similar fashion to mythological magic swords
Magic sword
The term magic sword refers to any kind of mythological or fictional sword imbued with magical power to increase its strength or grant it other supernatural qualities. The archetype originated in myth and legend, and occurs regularly in fantasy fiction....
. Mere were buried with their chiefly owners, but were considered so valuable that they were later recovered from the grave.
It was considered an honour to be killed by a specially significant mere pounamu. Captives would sometimes volunteer their own mere ponaumu as their means of execution rather than be killed by a lesser weapon.
Due to the high value placed on revered mere pounamu they would often be hidden when not in use, and kept in specially constructed cases.. Considerable efforts were undertaken, often by an entire tribe, to recover or regain significant mere that were lost or stolen.
External links
- Image of "Horokiwi"—historic mere which belonged to Te Rira Pōrutu
- Image of "Hine-nui-o-te-paua"—gifted by the Ngāti Pāoa tribe to Governor George GreyGeorge Edward GreySir George Grey, KCB was a soldier, explorer, Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Cape Colony , the 11th Premier of New Zealand and a writer.-Early life and exploration:...
as a peace offering in 1851http://www.waitangi-tribunal.govt.nz/reports/viewchapter.asp?reportID=6E18D794-ADD1-4EAC-88D7-0C4BDBAC08A3&chapter=5 - Extensive collection at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa]
- Collection at the British Museum