Post #383117 by Toataiaha on Wed, May 28, 2008 5:43 PM

On 2008-05-23 18:19, pdrake wrote:
started a new project today. hope to finish it this weekend. weather has been suck here.

it's a canary wood patu. about 11" long.

Pdrake ,
that style of patu is known as a Wahaika , (fish mouth).
As I understand it ,
the mouth in question may be either , the hook at the top of the curve , above the wee Tekoteko head , which can grapple with your opponents wrist or weapon .
Or , it may refer to the notch on the opposite edge , which due to it's angled slit appearance can resemble a fish mouth .
That notch can also hook a small weapon , but more so , it can , due to its plier effect , snap or dislocate a finger or wrist joint .
The point at the top of the curve is a slitting knife , for throat belly etc.
The blade is sharp enough to crack the skull open , just as you would with your boiled egg at breakfast :D
The bird beak at the end of the haft may as well be a sharp one , after all , the whole weapon is a weapon .
With that in mind , use a heavy hard wood . I did a basic one years ago , and it was too light , not a weapon at all , just a toy.

Good sketch there mate , I look forward to seeing the real thing :)

well thats my penny worth , ended up being more than I intended.
cheers ,
Jock

Ps .. I just notice that you posted that a week ago , its probably finished by now :lol:

[ Edited by: Toataiaha 2008-05-28 19:53 ]