Making a Serpentine Patu - Carving a Maori Style Warrior Club - Greenstone Mere

[@kuroshthegreat8073]

Wow great pronunciation on those Maori words. Amazing job with the carving as well, you've made us kiwis proud!

[@Bigbirdlittledog]

BigDirtyUncle I would second that

[@benjibunny360]

Thirded. Good to know there are still people who don't butcher Te Reo Maōri

[@tekowhiringa313]

im here on that too

[@reecevazey4278]

Yes nice pronounciation good to hear it better than some of the maori i know lol

[@reecevazey4278]

@Pa Tero cool name bro lol

[@terencemac6084]

Hey bro,I'm from New Zealand,and I am Maori,and thank you for your knowledge of my heritage,and your proper pronunciation of our language.I love your videos and this one in particular was great to see.perhaps you could try your hand at carving a taiaha,in my opinion the greatest staff weapon ever .

[@futureclassicNZ]

i thing that a tewha tewha is the best @terence mac

[@futureclassicNZ]

think

[@LPtheDESTROYER]

Very good pronunciation! Extremely respectable, and the fact you show knowledge for the difference between a Mere and Patu is impressive. Great video. Cheers, from Aotearoa

[@BackyardBowyer]

Lyndon Pedersen Thank you for the kind words!

[@mikha007]

wats the diff between mere and patu? billy T used them as a table tennis bat hahaha

[@digdugs57]

Some time ago, I had sent you a message requesting that you make a Patu. You did a fantastic job making it, Its truly a beauty to behold. You mentioned they were traditionally made from jade and that is true. Patus and jewelry made from jade are usually given as gifts. One cannot request to have the item. It must be given. Its brings good luck to the person who receives it as a gift. If it is stolen or taken without being gifted. It will bring about bad luck.

[@bladetasticknives5712]

How did you contact him ? Thanks 🙏🏼

[@doogerdoes5112]

I did not contact him directly. I just made a request in the comments.

[@keelanwalker]

Nga mihi ki a koe. Ka pai e hoa, nice mere, great channel.

[@festungmittlewesten3108]

I like how you always seem to be enjoying it when you make stuff, bringing this sort of calm & smiling zen to the project at hand. Keep it up man, this sort of thing is always fun to see.

[@nope9182]

And here we have an amazing example of cultural appreciation, rather than appropriation. Kei te pai brother. Mad respect

[@47kcr]

That was a beautiful piece of stone. Would like to see more videos like that, and yes, jade too.

[@BackyardBowyer]

47kcr Thanks!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Great work! That band saw sure cut nice

[@BackyardBowyer]

NightHawkInLight Thanks! I'm really liking this saw. My old one gave out so I replaced it with this one. I don't like the cut depth restriction, but it is a very quiet saw with steady power in the cut. Thanks for watching!

[@randomfox9970]

BackyardBowyer very interesting video I has great respect for Maoris but is that one patu not bit soft ?🐻🐺🐗

[@AngloSaxon1]

That was amazing, a master craftsman. I love the Mere club, a terrific weapon.

[@micahtrit7068]

Yay! Ur making stuff from my homeland! love the work and pronunciation of Maori!

[@FlimFlame]

Just saw this and had to comment, beautiful work and thanks for the care with pronunciation, that colour, like a gorgeous trout

[@nilssieper6648]

Super interesting video ! I would love to see more work from you like that.

[@elliscurtiss]

Yes Nick! This is great content. More please!

[@vZMexi]

Very impressed with your understanding and effort of Māori weapons/taonga

[@moheka30]

Thanks for the respect that you have shown in making this patu, massive respect to you bro

[@BackyardBowyer]

Moheka Williams I appreciate the kind words! Mahalo nui loa!

[@ChineseBoto]

Solid video bro ... please do more of these, so many people don't share knowledge now a days... thanks for all the educational videos you make. Mahalo.

[@BackyardBowyer]

+Alex Guitguiten Thank you! I'll definitely do more!

[@elijahbrooks3271]

A Jade carving video would be awesome!

[@YouSeeMe101]

I love it! this is a beautiful representation of my people back here in New Zealand. Thanks🤙

[@SneezebagDeluxe]

What kind of guy dislikes this video? You did everything wonderfully and using the file took so much patience and time and I admire your choice to make it this way. Keep up the good work!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Daniel Johnson Thank you for the kind words!

[@otsoalai5621]

Awesome work my friend!!! you are a natural craftsman!!

[@pipboy3000PS3]

Wow, I think this is your best project yet. Very impressive. Nice work.

[@BackyardBowyer]

Shoc Trooper Thank you!

[@chubbywubz1040]

I am from I'm NZ and my grandfather had a ponamu made from green stone, cool stuff man

[@jadekayak01]

You are also an idiot. "had a ponamu" and " made from greenstone". Had a ponamu WHAT Ponamu is only a material-3 to be precise. "Greenstone" is only the coloquial name for ponamu.

[@deesnarts2659]

I used to have a rakau made of wood once

[@maxr236]

You have great patience and skill Nick love your vids

[@BackyardBowyer]

maxr236 Thank you for watching!

[@eugenevictortooms4174]

You, my friend, are awesome. Very nice work.

[@CottonTailJoe]

So much more!!!!! I was wanting to see you make a patu!!!! Thanks so much, perhaps more history on traditional weapons and tools would be great!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Montey Python Thank you for watching and for the suggestion!

[@kawikaalsadonjr.2604]

Aloha, another amazing project. Keep up the great work and sharing your inspiring gift!

[@aicapitan3279]

hey, your pronunciation is spot on. it's very respectful to pronounce Maori properly. good job

[@BackyardBowyer]

Checkers Thank you!

[@harrydrennen9303]

dude I love this guy he is aways so chill

[@TheRedhawke]

Very nice, can't wait to see you carve Jade.

[@irishsteel6160]

Well done! I have never even contemplated making something in stone and you made it look easy Keep up the great work!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Irishsteel Thank you! Glad to have you watching!

[@toocozycanti]

ive been watching for a couple years now and don't comment much but I always love your videos man keep it up

[@BackyardBowyer]

THRAXX collin Thanks for watching all this time! I appreciate it!

[@jorgearroyo6881]

It came out beautiful. Great job .

[@BackyardBowyer]

Jorge Arroyo Thank you!

[@klinteris]

That looks absolutely beautiful. Well done. Thanks for posting this video.

[@BackyardBowyer]

Klint Waters Thank you for watching!

[@GreatSmithanon]

This is absolutely gorgeous. Every video I watch you just seem like the sweetest dude on youtube, second maybe to Joerg Sprave.

[@BackyardBowyer]

GreatSmithanon Thanks for the kind words! Sounds like I'm in good company!

[@ianmoz7313]

Very cool Nic! I really like the stone carving. With getting into archery and watching your channel I have started liking native American and other primitive weapons. Keep up the good work!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Ian Mostert Thank you for watching!

[@msanchez7317]

Pretty cool! Definitely like the primitive tools. Jade sounds like a fun material to work with. Forging is also a favorite topic to watch, for me at least.

[@BackyardBowyer]

Mario Sanchez Thanks! I'll definitely keep up doing both!

[@anthonylleid7061]

😲💯☝👏✊!Wow what an incredibly beautiful and deadly weapon, it is a one shot one handed widow maker !

[@dtmanaiadm]

yes it is a widow maker but if you were the best warrior in your tribe you would have a mere and patu one in the front and one tucked in your belt behind you so you strike with the front 1 then kill with the next and when you have beaten them you would take their weapons as it would take a tribe about 20yrs to make one.

[@coldnightcreations2390]

Do more, ive never seen this kind of thing before and as a builder its super interesting to me. Love to see some stuff with jade!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Cold Night Creations Thank you! I definitely will carve some jade!

[@rorydonaldson2794]

Would love to see more jade and serpentine vids, keep up the good word

[@BackyardBowyer]

rory Donaldson Thank you!

[@tehenga38nz]

Always enjoy your vids Nick. Great to see some Maori art getting made. Kia ora from Aotearoa!

[@jadekayak01]

This is not art-its a weapon and it has mana

[@kylerpeek3121]

You look like you've lost a lot of weight! Looking good my friend! Keep up the good work and keep the cool videos coming!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Kyler Peek Thank you!

[@blackjackmcgack]

Looking great dude! Awesome videos!

[@charliebowen5071]

Ah.. the path carved in the traditional way of the Maori bandsaw.. just lovely

[@artcanbelove7873]

Love it!!! I've been looking everywhere on how to do this!! Thank you!!

[@BackyardBowyer]

+Kirk Dodson Awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@taraishot100]

Chur bro I’m Māori from New Zealand great job love that you did your home work and love how it turned out

[@JC_WT]

Nice! I'm a kiwi and these weapons have a well deserved, fearsome reputation. You do NOT wanna get hit over the head with one of these!

[@BackyardBowyer]

+KZbinhasaids That is very true. It'd be the very last thing you see, or don't see depending on where you get hit. Thanks for watching!

[@JC_WT]

haha, exactly! Many a brave warrior will have fallen to one of these. Have you ever thought about making a taiaha? Could be a fun project. Always happy to watch awesome content like this, bro! Big fan of your work and look forward to your future creations :)

[@benjibunny360]

You're getting quite the reputation from Kiwis (myself included), and I gotta say I'm really impressed with your work on Polynesian/Maōri tools and weapons. Looking forward to seeing more from ya! +1 sub

[@BackyardBowyer]

+Ben Coole Thank you for the kind words and support. I'll definitely be doing more!

[@huonheta7395]

awesome bro really love your work, thanks for doing some stone work from New zealand, i think making your own Patu (mere) gives you the start of the strength you need to wield the weapon when you are done rasping sanding, your example is really beautiful, size shape weight seem right on

[@BackyardBowyer]

Huon Heta Hey! Thank you for the kind words, glad to see you're still watching! I appreciate the support. You definitely feel like it's a part of you. In a way, it is. Some of my mana is in that mere. I hope to someday attempt a mere with stone tools. I've heard it can take years to do, so the video may take a while to film!

[@FrostyShock349]

Awesome work! Serpentine is always wonderfull to work with for carving, alot of inuit artisans have serpentine as a go to material because it is readily available and easy to work with

[@vaughanhemara3648]

Well Nick. My hats off to you for that patu creation. Your crafting skill is inspiring. Youve done a great job with informative Maori knowledge and use of the stone. Looks great and pretty much just like we make them here in NZ. Love your weapons work and your passion. Ka mau te wehe (Awesome)

[@BackyardBowyer]

vaughan hemara Mahalo nui loa! I appreciate the kind words!

[@chrisboyce6542]

That colouring looks great, if you tap the patu does it ring, I think that would be a good indication that the integrity is strong, I hope it is. I am used to seeing the dark green and dark gray pounamu. Great job.

[@saltysergeant4284]

It's beautiful! I love the colors!

[@BackyardBowyer]

+Sean Fisher Thank you!

[@mRBoSSmANZz]

I would like to see more jade carving videos, good video btw, keep it up

[@BackyardBowyer]

mountain_drew_ Thank you! I'll definitely be doing more!

[@PThumper361]

Nice job Nick, thanks for sharing !!

[@BackyardBowyer]

PThumper361 Thanks for watching!

[@bubblesdelight]

This reminds me of a long lost Patu that was found again and given back to Aotearoa NZ . It belonged and was made in the south Island very rare because you use it with two hands and it 's bigger than the Patu , most beautiful weapon iv'e every seen.

[@cjc1216]

Nick man you are wasting away looking fit buddy. Awesome job as always you really show us the possibility of awesome craftsmanship with minimal tools

[@BackyardBowyer]

cj c Thanks for the kind words and for watching!

[@willybee3056]

Did you save the dust to use as a filler in a resin / epoxy mix..

[@coalsauce4457]

Greetings from NZ! cool project loved it loads!!😀😀

[@dragontattooee]

Stunning work , keep up the great videos

[@johnpeterson4651]

You, sir...are friggin amazing. Keep doing what you do.

[@BackyardBowyer]

John Peterson Thank you!

[@barefootkiwi3026]

Like others have said, good job with the pronunciation of Māori words. And a beautiful finished patu. Although 'patu' is usually translated as 'club', it was used with more of a slashing (sideways) action than a clubbing (vertical) action. Patu were normally made out of stone, bones or wood, but a patu made out of pounamu (greenstone/jade) would be known as a mere. There is a Māori word/concept; 'mana'. It is one of these small words but with deep meanings; pride, prestige, honour, status etc. The more work you put into something, the more mana it has. In the old days (before Europeans arrived with iron tools), Māori would make their stone tools using a hammer stone, flaking bits off and sanding it down until you got it to the shape you needed. You cannot do that with pounamu, so instead you used sandstone, water and hundreds of hours of work to make it into a mere. More work means more mana. So the mere not only had the mana of being pounamu and the mana of the ancestors who had owned it (being handed down over generations), but also the mana of the people it had killed as well.

[@marcsenteney3160]

Very nice build! Well done!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Marc Senteney Thanks for watching!

[@NeanderthalJoe]

Amazing work.. Could you make some Aztec weapons next?

[@roboactive]

Good idea!

[@BackyardBowyer]

joseph lawlor Thanks for the suggestion! I was thinking a macuahuitl once I find some good stone for the edge!

[@NeanderthalJoe]

BackyardBowyer thats a great idea I hope to see it in the future will always be watching your videos!

[@trampmaster13]

Holy fuck dude, youve lost so much weight! Looking great

[@BackyardBowyer]

S!ngularity Thanks!

[@sjcnz48]

S!ngularity

[@scottskinner8468]

Looks awsome and quite a cool looking club

[@BackyardBowyer]

Scott Skinner Thank you!

[@calebenoka2194]

Beautiful Korero and Mahi bro! Chur from New Zealand!

[@simonmaake4147]

Amazing craftsmanship keep it up bro

[@jordantemarama6836]

Kia Ora this is actually really cool to see being Maori I was quite proud of this I love the colour really wicked to see this done and explained so well,as it is something I am studying at the moment is traditional carving but have a nice piece of serpentine on its way so with this as a reference I will send you a pic of the finished product and once I am good with that I will work on pounamu(greenstone) and other local stones but thank you for the inspiration Brother. Nga Mihi

[@lillianfourie774]

I would like to make one out of oak... Could you please give a indication of the measurements and weight of the ideal weapon

[@BMikeTV]

Awesome video man. Love stone work.

[@BackyardBowyer]

Ozark Bran Awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@issaissachur8077]

Hi. I have a maori Jade pendant, and it was handmade. I was always told not to put water on it since it may be bad luck. Is this true? Because I've been showering with it on, and nothing's happened so far.

[@yourztruely3940]

Hey im Maori and putting water on it is not bad luck as the stone itself comes from the rivers of Te wai pounamu, South Island of NZ

[@gullwingstorm857]

Good pronunciation! Beautiful work.

[@beardedtrottgames1797]

Yea would love to see more carving vids

[@kupt3d138]

your vids are so dope its great to see you growing on youtube keep it up

[@BackyardBowyer]

Kupt3d 13 Thank you!

[@kupt3d138]

BackyardBowyer your wellcome

[@seansteele1269]

Beautiful rock buddy good choice for this piece

[@BackyardBowyer]

Sean Steele Thank you!

[@backyardbladesmith7612]

your lookin good man very lean! love the club too keep it up man!

[@BackyardBowyer]

backyardbladesmith Thank you!

[@IlBaroneRozzo]

This is a real masterpiece. Awesome!

[@king-oreos4003]

Wow serpentine is soft, I really wasn’t expecting you to just cut it with a band saw

[@zanedickson2725]

Incredible, would love to learn that one day.

[@hopetofly]

beautiful patu brother! much love and appreciation from here in Aotearoa/New Zealand! Tu meke!

[@turtlewolfpack6061]

That is a neat little club, good job.

[@BackyardBowyer]

TurtleWolf Pack Thank you!

[@KhanggiTanka]

Very nice but Maori didnt have band saws so how would they do it ?

[@BackyardBowyer]

Tamahagane They would use a piece of abrasive rock that had itself been ground down to form a thick saw blade. Then they would use that rock to slowly wear down the places where they want to cut. Once it got thin enough, they would snap the pieces apart. Once the rough cutting was done, the mere would be ground to shape on a large stone. A hole would be drilled with a pump drill and a flint drill bit. Detail work could be done with a combination of abrasive and hard stone cutting tools. I hope to try it this way someday!

[@Syrkyth]

I had to improvise some shaping tools in school for limestone and marble. I ended up plundering the metal shop for old diamond grinding pads on a disk grinder, stacked in fours or more, rather than backed with a plate, since the used pads could still get overly aggressive and remove more material than I wanted. Might want to look into those for a little less labour intensive material removal. Great result!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Syrkyth Thank you for the tip!

[@InformationIsTheEdge]

Excellent! More please! I would love to hear about the history of the weapon and it's use in the warrior culture. OH! What would be perfect would be some demonstrations of the martial techniques using the weapon!

[@BackyardBowyer]

+InformationIsTheEdge Thank you for watching and for the suggestions!

[@lengenius4579]

Awesome dude, I've got some of that stone laying around, just haven't had time to work on them, I do want to try make a Toki (Adze) for ceremonial purposes though, thanks I'm inspired.

[@jadekayak01]

A toki is a chisel. An adze has a different name

[@davidwhite7399]

Awesome video. More stone carving please!

[@BackyardBowyer]

David White Thank you! Will do!

[@elijahcummings1905]

I would love to see more videos like this!

[@BackyardBowyer]

Elijah Cummings Thank you for watching! I'll definitely be doing more!

[@chinmay4308]

I have been watching your pvc bowmaking videos since years from India, and just saw this video and got to know you are a kiwi, and I am in NZ right now. Cheers

[@honewhite4855]

Dat mere looks viscious bro. This video looks really cool

[@Ben-ny4qd]

I really like your videos, keep up with that and please do more of these one

[@BackyardBowyer]

H̵̜̕ā̵̱c̵̩͛ķ̸̛e̸̖͛r̵̡̿ Thank you for watching!

[@admiralgoodboy]

Wow your maori pronouncing is spot on much respect fir that

[@blu3c3lt]

Nice videos man. I really enjoy them.

[@BackyardBowyer]

Aaron Craig Thank you!

[@neckredgringo5372]

Awsome job man, super impressed.

[@BackyardBowyer]

S. D. Woodsman Thank you!

[@diymanable]

just to say absolutely awesome video and the work you do a really Awesome . it takes a lot of carving skills to carve the taitua or body of the mere with the right balance and Flow you've got it just right mate . By the way and Just so you're aware . it is a mere .not a patu . the differences a mere is carved in stone or whalebone. And a patu is carved out of wood . keep up the good mahi... work awesome video man

[@jerryleo11]

woww..so beaytiful..what is it use for ?i mean in the past?chop tree or fish or as a weapon?

[@BackyardBowyer]

JESELLA HANGAD It was a weapon, usually used by those with influence and power. While it looks like a club or paddle, it was used as a stabbing and striking weapon.

[@spyderfreestone736]

beautiful work

[@BackyardBowyer]

Josh Freestone Thank you!

[@soufianennaim6108]

Beautiful... Good work monsieur

[@BackyardBowyer]

Soufian Ennaim Thank you!

[@constantinesmith5972]

In my experience, stone clubs (and weapons in general) like this tend to crack and break apart relatively easily. Were the clubs used in such a way as to avoid cracking, or did the Maori just make more clubs when they broke, or did they have a way to repair them? How did they deal with broken or cracked weapons in combat?

[@BackyardBowyer]

+talon lynn I'm not 100% sure, but I've seen pictures and examples of patu that did break. Greenstone is very tough and I don't know if those broke much. Especially since it was a more uncommon weapon anyway. The patu onewa is made of basalt or graywacke, which are very hard but brittle. These are easier to shape because the rough work can be done using knapping or peck and grind methods which are much faster than the grinding that jade requires. I believe broken clubs were often buried, though this is just something somebody told me and may or may not be correct. Thank you for watching!

[@dtmanaiadm]

hi their as a maori i can help you out with your question first for a true maori patu or mere its made out of greenstone in nz or jade as they call it every were else in the world and it would usely take about 20yrs for a tribe to make 1 so you would always make sure it had no cracks before you started. Then you would have to be high up in a tribe to get 1 meaning your dad is the chief and saying that you will be trained in the art of war and one on one combat till the death and you would always strike your opponent with the sharp edge in a downward strike thru the collar bone to the rib cage so you take off his fighting arm then you pull the patu out then finish him with a clean massive head strike and thats it hope i help out their so you understand ok.

[@SlapermanWOW]

Love this please keep doing more!

[@jjwatt5012]

all these vid are so neat... keep up the good work😏

[@BackyardBowyer]

JJ Watt Thank you!