Hand Carved Wahaika 33cm - by Alex Sands

NZ Maire wood.


Handcarved by Alex Sands - Ngati Kuhungunu

Wahaika (short club)

Koru designs on blade - strength, courage, determination.  
Aids focus on a given task. 

33cm x 9cm x 2cm

About Wahaika:

A Wahaika is a type of traditional Maori hand weapon. Wahaika are club-like weapons usually made of wood, whalebone or pounamu and are used for thrusting and striking in close-quarter, hand to hand fighting.

Wahaika translates to "mouth of the fish",  reference to the notch on one side which is used to catch an opponent's weapon. On the other side just above the handle the concave tip above a carved humanoid figure is the primary striking edge, particularly used against the opponent's temples, face, and ribs. The rest of the spherical edge is sharp like a blade.

About Maire Wood:

Black maire is hard (probably New Zealand’s hardest wood) heavy and strong, and mature black maire is extremely durable.  It was used by early European settlers for bearings and pulley blocks. Maori used it for digging sticks, wedges for splitting wood, canoe paddles and bailers, beaters and mallets. Early Europeans used it for bridges, wharves and structural uses.