MAU RAKAU Freakie-Do

MAU RAKAU

Freakie-Do

Originally from New Zealand, the Mau Rakau is a very old martial art that is characterized by its specialty in handling the most traditional weapons of this region and that were used by the warriors of the time with the aim of defending themselves against men and also animals.

Thus, the Maori, an ethnic group from Polynesia, arrived in New Zealand and developed the Mau Rakau, a martial art that was becoming extinct and that today is becoming known so that this ancient tradition does not disappear.

According to an ancient Maori tradition, the weapons were given to them by the god of war named TU and also by the god of the jungle whom they called TANE and the training began with the children at a very early age through a game made with sticks and that allowed them to become familiar with the use of weapons that they would later use in their adulthood.

All aspiring warriors had to go through an initiation rite and after that they began to learn the different techniques that at that time were considered secret.

Today the Mau Rakau follows the traditional rules and is a fighting or combat system complemented by Mau, which is precisely the handling of the hand-to-hand combat weapon that is practiced as a ceremonial and religious rite.

However, what most characterizes the Mau Rakau is not its documentation, since it was taught orally, but mainly by referring to the use of skills for handling weapons that were taught in the so-called War School.

Among the most used weapons in this martial discipline is the Taiaha with a handle called Mau Taiaha, a long stick made of solid wood that has one of its ends is thicker and facilitates the blow with that area.

Within the learning, basic attack techniques are also taught, such as defense and postures that facilitate the counterattack, as well The original Mau Rakau had a wide variety of white weapons and canes of different lengths and uses such as the Mere, Kotiate, Patu, Pouwhenua, Tewhatewha, Leiomano and Wahaika, among others. The Mau Rakau is a Martial Art that today is presented in exhibitions, especially in New Zealand and from there its followers try to make it known in a massive way.

Here we leave you a video about a Mau Rakau practice: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=7ZvZGHyFoI8