The leiomano is a shark-toothed club used by various Polynesian cultures, primarily by the Native Hawaiians.[1]
The word "leiomano" is derived from the Hawaiian language and may originate from lei o manō, meaning "a shark's lei."[2]
The weapon resembles a thick ping-pong paddle inset with shark teeth, typically from the tiger shark. These teeth are placed into grooves in the club and sewn into place. The tip of the handle may also utilize a marlin bill as a dagger. The weapon functions as a bladed club, similar to the obsidian-studded macuahuitl of the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures.
North America
editA weapon of similar form was discovered in pieces at Cahokia, Illinois, in 1948 by Gregory Perino. Greatly damaged by a plow, the weapon was composed of eight chert imitation shark teeth, and tipped with five actual shark teeth. In both cases, the teeth were related to the great white.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Islands of Blood". Warriors. May 7, 2009. History Channel.
- ^ Taylor, Leighton R. (1993). Sharks of Hawaii: Their Biology and Cultural Significance. University of Hawaii Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-8248-1562-2.
- ^ "Cahokia Mounds" Shark's Tooth Clubs, archived from the original on 2016-03-03, retrieved 2019-02-14.
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