Polynesian Warfare

Polynesians fought without armour or shields. The hundreds of islands scattered across the Pacific were home to people of the Polynesian culture. These people had no metal and so made their weapons from wood, stone and other natural mateirals. They preferred to rely on skill and movement in battle rather than on shields or armour, though some men wore thick shirts of plaited coconut fibres as protection.

War clubs were favourite weapons. Wooden clubs were carved from single pieces of wood about 1.2 metre long. They had wide, heavy heads that were often elaborately carved with geometric shapes and patterns.

The Maori used wooden weapons. The Maori are the Polynesian people who live in New Zealand. They produced unique types of club. The mere, for instance, had a short handle and a wide curved blade that could be used for slashing at the enemy.

Shark teeth were made into swords. In western Polynesia shark teeth were added to the sides of long clubs to produce a weapon called the tebutje. This could be used to cut as well as smash and was deadly at short range.

Warriors travelled in war canoes. Because the Polynesians lived on islands separated by wide stretches of ocean they used canoes to travel. Warriors had special war canoes that were wider and much longer than usual canoes. They could be rowed quickly by the warriors on board and were often decorated with carvings of the gods.

I Don’t Believe It!

Warriors in Fiji used a club shaped like a pineapple.