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Post by Timo Nieminen on Mar 1, 2017 20:51:45 GMT
I've looked at taiaha before. Would be cool to have one. Unfortunately most of the replicas are pine, rather than the original hardwood. Wall-hanger taiaha, and I'm still not sure I want to pay $300 for a wallhanger taiaha. The shark-tooth clubs are cool. I like the long ones, from Kiribati/Gilbert Islands. Sometimes you can find these on ebay etc cheap (but quality, whether they're old fighting weapons or tourist replicas, etc. can be hard to tell). For some info on these, see wiki.ucl.ac.uk/display/BBCollabSupport/An+Ethnographic+Analysis+of+a+Kiribati+Shark-Toothed+Sword (and to find more, "shark tooth sword" is the best search term). The huge Zweihander version: www.tribalmaniagallery.com/POLESWORD.htmShark-tooth clubs are pretty fragile. If you hit things with them, teeth will break or come off. Sid Campbell, Warrior Arts and Weapons of Ancient Hawaii, www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/142233436508 has info on various shark-tooth clubs. I can't recommend a good book on Maori weapons; the only one I know of is www.amazon.com/Maori-Weapons-Pre-European-New-Zealand/dp/1877514705 and I haven't ever read it.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Mar 1, 2017 21:37:46 GMT
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Post by celegon on Mar 1, 2017 22:13:43 GMT
ive been lookin for a good source for shark teeth for years,id love to make some proper Polynesian warclubs.ive made a number of maquahuitls over the years so it shouldn't be too different.
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Post by masterofossus on Mar 2, 2017 3:01:55 GMT
When I was vacationing in Hawaii a few years ago I went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and got to talking to people demonstrating making taiaha. They told me that even their versions (which they charged around $1000 for) were not made of the original New Zealand hardwood but an inferior substitute because of the very high cost of importing it. Granted, those guys were in the entertainment business, but I doubt that you'll find experienced carvers making them for much less, I'm afraid.
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Post by Jordan Williams on Mar 2, 2017 5:01:42 GMT
I've always wanted to make a shark tooth club.
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Scott
Member
Posts: 1,676
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Post by Scott on Mar 2, 2017 13:05:07 GMT
So would something like this be carved to represent shark teeth or is it something else altogether? The total length is about 150 cm, and there was originally rattan or bamboo wrapping on the handle.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Mar 2, 2017 21:08:01 GMT
So would something like this be carved to represent shark teeth or is it something else altogether? Not shark teeth, but some other kinds of barbs. Lots of different things were used for barbs, but fish bones and stingray spines appear to have been especially common. Human bones for some special-purpose spears. Search google images for "barbed spear polynesian" or "barbed spear pacific" for some fun pictures.
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Scott
Member
Posts: 1,676
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Post by Scott on Mar 2, 2017 23:05:54 GMT
Thanks Timo.
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