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Story: Traditional Māori warfare – Riri

Tewhatewha

Tewhatewha

This engraving of a Māori warrior from Poverty Bay is a copy of a drawing by Sydney Parkinson from 1769. He holds both a short-handled and a long-handled weapon. The short one appears to be either a mere pounamu (greenstone club) or a patu onewa (stone club), while the long-handled weapon is a tewhatewha.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PUBL-0037-15

by Sydney Parkinson

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Traditional Māori warfare – Riri – Rākau Māori – Māori weapons and their uses, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/37093/tewhatewha (accessed 7 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 14 June 2012.

Comments

Gael Binns
23 February 2025
My grandfather had one of these on the wall above the fireplace. My Polish grandmother gave it away after he passed away. I always wonder what became of it.