Mere (weapon)

The mere (Māori pronunciation: [ˈmɛrɛ]) is a type of short, broad-bladed weapon in the shape of an enlarged tear drop. It was used to strike/jab an opponent in the body or the head (it is misleading to call it a club as described by early visitors to New Zealand) (patu), usually made from Nephrite jade (Pounamu or greenstone). A mere is one of the traditional, close combat, one-handed weapons of the indigenous Māori, of New Zealand and a symbol of chieftainship.

The Mere is a , leaf shaped, form of short club. It has a broad, rounded that narrows to form a handle, terminating in a or heel (reke), marked by several grooves. Mere have two , almost flat sides and a rounded top. The top of the mere was ground to a sharp edge, extending down both sides of the weapon.

Generally, short clubs had holes carved or drilled through the butt end of the handle, allowing a wrist cord (tau or patui) made of plaited New Zealand flax, or Polynesian dog skin, to be passed through and attached to the wielder's wrist. Passing the wrist cord over the thumb and around the hand prevented the club from slipping during use.

Mere are between 25 and 50 centimetres (10 and 20 in), with an average length of 35 centimetres (14 in). The width of a mere is similarly variable, from under 7 to over 12 centimetres (3 to 5 in). The dimensions of a mere were generally determined by the characteristics of the raw materials the club was made from. Extremely long or short mere are unwieldy in combat, and are likely to have been mainly used for ceremonial purposes.

While the term mere was, and is, used in some regions to refer exclusively to clubs made from pounamu, in other regions, mere was more broadly used to refer to patu of a similar shape and design made from hardwood (meremere, mere rakau), whalebone (patu paraoa), or stone (patu onewa) - in these areas, a mere made from greenstone was known as a mere pounamu or patu pounamu.

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