Whalebone kotiate (Waikato)
Maker
Unknown Maker
Description
This whalebone kotiate or club features a typical quatrefoil blade with a carved figure on the butt of the handle. The kotiate was named for its distinctive double silhouette of the human liver, taken from the Maaori terms koti – to divide and eat – the liver. Thought to be of Waikato origin, this particular example has areas of discolouration suggesting it may have been buried or used in battle at some point in the past.
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