Bone Wahaika Earrings

Bone Wahaika Earrings
Size - bone part only (mm): 70 L x 23 W. 
These earrings have a brown stain to add a beautiful contrast. The Tiki figure on the side has a Paua shell eye to add life to the carving.
Wahaika translates to "mouth of the fish, " referring to the notch on one side, which is used to catch an opponent's weapon. This is located just above the tiki figure. The primary striking part is the edge on the opposite side of the tiki. The primary target would have been the opponent's temples, face, and ribs. 
Wooden wahaika are often carved with intricate designs. In addition to being a fighting weapon, rangatira would hold wahaika during ceremonies and speeches, especially if they wanted people to pay attention to something important. Special wahaika would only be given to people with considerable ranking in the Māori tribal structure.