For several decades after the introduction of the musket to New Zealand, Māori warriors used both muskets and their traditional weapons. This painting by Joseph Merrett, from about 1845, shows a war dance in which taiaha (fighting staffs), a tao (spear) and a greenstone mere (club) are brandished along with muskets and steel-bladed axes.
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National Library of Australia
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nla.pic-an2948236-v
Watercolour by Joseph Merrett
Permission of the National Library of Australia must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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