Weapon; Club

A taiaha (long club/fighting staff) with one end (the head) carved in the shape of a tongue with a human face on either side of the shaft below it, the other end is a smooth blade. The surface decoration on the tongue is double spirals formed by haehae (parallel grooves) and ridges with pakati (dog's-tooth notches). The eyes are inlaid with sealing wax. The tongue has been broken and re-attached to the shaft by a joint and two wooden pegs. The tip of the tongue is broken off.