Poi and patu
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Transcript
- Student from Greymouth High School
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Back in the old days did Māori men use the poi as a method of training for the patu or other weapons?
- Erana
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he poi was not the domain of just the women. It was actually used by men in trying to get co-ordination going through poi use. Also for suppleness and dexterity in the wrist. I mean because…if you can sit there all day and do this with a poi, then it will be easier when you pick up a patu, to be able to sit there and do a bit of this. But you can’t do it if you haven’t done any practice. The other thing is that also with our poi, they used to make them and they put stones in them, and over the years I think they got heavier. So one thing you wouldn’t be doing as a male with a poi is going with this, ‘cause you’d end up breaking your hand. But to be able to wield some of the weaponry that we did have, and there was a number of ways that poi were used, not only for this, but also around the head area, so that you would be able to wield the weaponry as you could, then poi played a major part in that.