Sidestep: Moriori Dagger (One of a kind in NZ)
The top left picture reveals a dagger of the Moriori from the Chatham Islands. It is a bone dagger and is unique within NZ. Maori did not make daggers. Remembering that the Moriori fled NZ when the Polynesians forced them out, this means daggers were something familiar to those here beforehand.
This dagger was mentioned on page 79 of an 1899 article on the Moriori by Edward Tregear (in Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand Vol. 22, pp. 75 - 79): "It would be desirable, if possible, for the society to acquire the large collection of axes, clubs, &c., of stone now in the possession of Mr. Clough. They could be obtained, I believe, for a very moderate price, and it would be a pity for such a collection (which could never be replaced) to find its way into the possession of private persons and tourists. Among other curiosities is a bone dagger, about 9in. long, the blade being about 4½in. in length, with a double edge. I do not know of any other Polynesian people having used the dagger except the Hawaiians (of course I do not refer to the common bamboo knife of the South Seas), but Tapu assured me that the weapon was known and used by the ancient Moriori." Henry Balfour illustrated and described this object in a 1918 paper in Man (Vol. 18, Oct. 1918, pp. 145-148) on 'Some Specimens from the Chatham Islands': "Fig. 1.-A well-made dagger of bone, apparently that of a large cetacean. It is 22-5 cm. in length and is made of a single piece. The blade tapers gradually to a point and is lozenge-shaped in transverse section, the obtuse angle being more clearly defined on one surface than on the other. At its junction with the grip, the blade is shouldered. The grip is circular in section and terminates in a large, rounded pommel, which is separated from the grip by a groove forming a neck. It is a carefully-made and shapely weapon of a type hardly to be expected from this locality. As far as I can ascertain, it is unique. It is without doubt the actual specimen referred to by E. Tregear (Trans. Newv Zealand Inst., XXII, 1889, p. 79), who in his remarks upon the Clough collection of Chatham Islands objects, says: "Among other curiosities is a bone dagger, about 9 inches long, the blade being about 41 inches in length, with a double edge.
But we found a photo of the original and here is is below...
I do not know of any other Polynesian people having used the dagger except the Hawaiians...but Tapu assured me that the weapon was known and used by the ancient Moriori. "I can recall nothing resembling this dagger either from Polynesia, from Melanesia, or from Micronesia, and I am, therefore, unable to link this form with any type from the Pacific Islands. It seems likely, in fact, that this type of bone dagger may have been evolved locally. One would turn to New Zealand in seeking for a parallel, but I can recall no similar example either from North or from South Island, although Mr. Skinner and others have pointed out the cultural similarities which indicate a link between New Zealand (especially the Otago district) and the Chatham Islands."
This item (like the tribrach and items from Taranaki and Nelson) is one of a kind and unique...and not Maori in any shape or form which begs the question...why?
