A Māori stone patu onewa/hand club, 19th century, of spatulate form, the grooved butt with a single eyelet, 29cm long Note: This type of short-handled club (patu) features a flat elongated blade with sharp striking edge. The term patu means to strike, hit or subdue in Maori – in this case the blow administered was a sharp, horizontal thrust straight from the shoulder aimed at the enemy’s temple. Finely finished, these flat bladed weapons could be made from wood, stone, whalebone (patu paraoa) and even prestigious greenstone (mere pounamu). Patu onewa refer specifically to hand clubs carved from stone (greywacke or basalt) such as this one, which was cut and painstakingly polished with natural abrasives to achieve its smooth surface and fine lines. A single perforation at the rounded tip would have had a cord (tau) fashioned from dog skin to fasten it securely to the wrist. The rounded tip features a series of perfectly concentric grooves which yield and unfold to the base of the handle.The blade with two flat chips approx 5-7mm in size. Further tiny nibbles to the blade edge. The tip of the handle is worn through handling.