page_title: Mere (weapon)
section_title: Form
hierarchical_section_title: Mere (weapon) / Form
caption_attribution_description: English: Kataore, Mere pounamu (42cm x 12cm) named after a Ngai Tahu chief killed by Te Rauparaha in the 1830s. Gifted by Riwai Keioni Te Ahu, Te Ati Awa to Sir George Grey. Currently loaned to the Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand.
context_page_description: The mere is a type of short, broad-bladed weapon in the shape of an enlarged tear drop. It was used to strike/jab an opponent in the body or the head, usually made from nephrite jade. A mere is one of the traditional, hand to hand, one-handed weapons of the indigenous Māori of New Zealand, and a symbol of chieftainship.
context_section_description: The mere is a spatulate, leaf shaped, 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 between 25 and 50 centimetres (10 and 20 in), with an average length of 35 centimetres (14 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.
caption: 'Kataore', Mere pounamu (42cm x 12cm)
exif: {}