Te butu

human history

Te butu. Small dagger set with shark's teeth. Butu are designed to exact facial injuries to opponents targeting the forehead and the eyes so as to obscure vision or leave visible disfigurement. These small handheld weapons are easily concealed on a person and were often held and used by women. This butu consists of a main shaft carved from light balsa wood upon which five wii n bakoa (shark teeth) are lashed to drilled perforations made along one long side. The shaft is long although irregular in cross section. The woode remains textured and uneven as little surface treatment is applied. Its side edge is deeply grooved to fit the wii n bakoa securely. The wii n bakoa are themselves perforated at their base and lashed to the shaft with brown plant fibre. The wii n bakoa are off-white in colour while the wooden shaft is medium brown in colour.

Accession number: 1936.295 Last Update: 30 Nov 2018
Other Name

Dagger set with shark's teeth (English)

Accession Number

1936.295

Accession Date

1936

Other Id

23974 (ethnology)

Department

Pacific

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Te butu; 1936.295; 23974; Cultural Permissions Apply Cultural Permissions Apply
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