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Patiti (hatchet with harpoon head); Unknown; 1830-1850; OL001037
Name/Title
Patiti (hatchet with harpoon head)
Patiti (hatchet with harpoon head)
About this object
This formidable weapon has been created by fixing the head of a whaling harpoon to a carved wooden handle. The double-fluke harpoon head is made from forged iron and would normally have been fastened to a hardwood shaft about one to two metres in length. The two-fluke design of the harpoon head can be dated back to before the thirteenth century. This one is consistent with two-fluke designs used in New Zealand and abroad in the mid-nineteenth century and may be of American manufacture as British harpoon heads of the period were commonly date stamped with the manufacturer's name and place of manufacture.
Origin
The carved handle is stylistically similar to a northern Tai Tokerau form, but may have been manufactured in the Wellington region. A weapon of this type is likely to have been made during the heyday of the Kapiti whaling industry between 1830 and 1845. At that time Kapiti Island supported at least five whaling stations, with further stations located on its offshore islands of Tahoramaurea, Motungarara, and Tokamapuna. Other whaling stations were situated along the coast between Kapiti and Porirua.
A battle relic?
There were two significant battles fought on the beach between Waikanae and Otaki during this period, Haowhenua (1834) and Kuititanga (1839). European whalers witnessed both events, and ships surgeons from the New Zealand Company ship Tory attended the wounded at Kuititanga. This particular pātiti may well be a relic from those violent episodes.
See more at Te Papa's Collections Online: http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=213437
This formidable weapon has been created by fixing the head of a whaling harpoon to a carved wooden handle. The double-fluke harpoon head is made from forged iron and would normally have been fastened to a hardwood shaft about one to two metres in length. The two-fluke design of the harpoon head can be dated back to before the thirteenth century. This one is consistent with two-fluke designs used in New Zealand and abroad in the mid-nineteenth century and may be of American manufacture as British harpoon heads of the period were commonly date stamped with the manufacturer's name and place of manufacture.
Origin
The carved handle is stylistically similar to a northern Tai Tokerau form, but may have been manufactured in the Wellington region. A weapon of this type is likely to have been made during the heyday of the Kapiti whaling industry between 1830 and 1845. At that time Kapiti Island supported at least five whaling stations, with further stations located on its offshore islands of Tahoramaurea, Motungarara, and Tokamapuna. Other whaling stations were situated along the coast between Kapiti and Porirua.
A battle relic?
There were two significant battles fought on the beach between Waikanae and Otaki during this period, Haowhenua (1834) and Kuititanga (1839). European whalers witnessed both events, and ships surgeons from the New Zealand Company ship Tory attended the wounded at Kuititanga. This particular pātiti may well be a relic from those violent episodes.
See more at Te Papa's Collections Online: http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=213437
Maker
Unknown
Unknown
Maker Role
carver
carver
Date Made
1830-1850
1830-1850
Place Made
New Zealand
Medium and Materials
wood, cast iron
wood, cast iron
Measurements
360 x 180 x 36.2mm
360 x 180 x 36.2mm
Object Type
hatchet
hatchet
Object number
OL001037
OL001037
