Mau rakau
Encyclopedia
Mau rākau, meaning "to bear a weapon", is a martial art based on traditional Māori weapons.
Mau rākau is a general term referring to the skilled use of weapons. It is said that the use of weapons was taught in the Whare-tū-taua (House or school of war). The term Mau taiaha is used to refer to the use of the taiaha
and does not necessarily include other weapons.
Regular schools are held on Mokoia Island
in Lake Rotorua
to teach the use of the taiaha
.
It is said weapons including the taiaha and patu were handed down by Tāne
, god of the forest and Tū
, god of war, the two sons of Rangi-nui and Papatuanuku
. The Whare-tū-taua (House of war) is a term which covers the basics of educating young toa (warriors) in the arts of war.
Weapons
Taiaha
A Taiaha is a traditional weapon of the Māori of New Zealand.It is a wooden, or sometimes whale bone, close quarters, staff weapon used for short sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with quick footwork on the part of the wielder. Taiaha are usually between in length...
and does not necessarily include other weapons.
Regular schools are held on Mokoia Island
Mokoia Island
Mokoia Island is located in Lake Rotorua in New Zealand. It has an area of 1.35 square kilometres. The island is a rhyolite lava dome, rising to 180 metres above the lake surface. It erupted after the Rotorua caldera was formed, tapping a different magma source...
in Lake Rotorua
Lake Rotorua
Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake in the North Island of New Zealand by surface area, and covers 79.8km2. With a mean depth of only 10 metres it is considerably smaller than nearby Lake Tarawera in terms of volume of water. It is located in the Bay of Plenty region...
to teach the use of the taiaha
Taiaha
A Taiaha is a traditional weapon of the Māori of New Zealand.It is a wooden, or sometimes whale bone, close quarters, staff weapon used for short sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with quick footwork on the part of the wielder. Taiaha are usually between in length...
.
Mythology
Tane
In Māori mythology, Tāne is the god of forests and of birds, and the son of Ranginui and Papatuanuku, the sky father and the earth mother, who lie in a tight embrace...
, god of the forest and Tū
TU
Tu is the 2nd-person singular subject pronoun in Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, French, Irish, Latvian, Romanian, Latin, and Hindustani and may also refer to:* Tuberculin Units, a measure of strength of tuberculin...
, god of war, the two sons of Rangi-nui and Papatuanuku
Rangi and Papa
In Māori mythology the primal couple Rangi and Papa appear in a creation myth explaining the origin of the world. In some South Island dialects, Rangi is called Raki or Rakinui.-Union and separation:...
. The Whare-tū-taua (House of war) is a term which covers the basics of educating young toa (warriors) in the arts of war.