Mere (weapon)

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A mere (pronounced like "mehreh") is a traditional weapon of the Māori of New Zealand.

Made of a heavy hardwood or a stone, such as jade, it is a short club about 30 cm (12 inches) in length. It has two almost flat sides and a rounded, sharpened top. A mere pounamu is one of "greenstone" (jade)—these were symbols of chieftainship and passed down as valuable heirlooms. Traditionally individual mere are named, and each is said to possess a mana of its own.

In use they were used for stabbing and thrusting rather than for axe-like blows.

[edit] See also

• Taiaha

[edit] External links

• Mere pounamu in the collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
• Image of "Horokiwi"—historic mere which belonged to Te Rira Pōrutu
• Image of "Hine-nui-o-te-paua"—gifted by the Ngāti Pāoa tribe to Governor George Grey as a peace offering in 1851[1]

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