Long Handled Tomahawks - 'Kakauroa':

That excellent 1920s book that I'm currently working-through -  'THE NEW ZEALAND WARS and the PIONEERING PERIOD'  (Volume 1) by James Cowan tells of Maori favouring the use of both short-handled hatchets and the long-handled version as weapons in close combat or when the warrior couldn't use a firearm.

Two long handled 'KAKAUROA' (lower)
 - and two 'POUWHENUA' - used as a fighting staff (not spear)

 

Many "resistance" fighters simply did not have a firearm until they might win one in combat - and of-course using a muzzle loader - when you had fired your single shot you were vulnerable - until able to reload - and your back-up  hatchet arm might be needed.

 

 "PATITI" or Hatchet.

 

The "tupara" double barrelled guns were a definite step-up in performance ability over the musket for the warrior - the second barrel could be held in reserve - but reloading still required time and raising your body into view - although they learnt to load the projectiles and seated them without use of the ram-rod - by rapping the butt sharply on the ground.

I don't think that you'd want to use that method with your double barrelled tupara if one chamber was already loaded eh.

 

 

From the several accounts in this book - the maori hatchet was not found to be a good match when confronted by well drilled colonial troops with the 'fixed' bayonet.

 

Rifled Musket (cut-down) with Bayonet.

This old 'New Zealand Wars' book is a real 'eye-opener' and free of modern 'politically correct' BS amendment. It refers to cannibalism, - and savage practices of both sides in conflict (normally "glossed-over" nowadays) - not sparing any-ones feelings (unlike our current media reportage where we here are not even allowed to be told that some-one has suicided ("- died suddenly" !).

It is  a free book on Kindle - but it does suffer from not being properly configured or 'proof read'.

Marty K.