yxa, Ceremoniyxa, adz

Ceremoniyxa. Ett tväryxblad av sten med en femsidig sektion: Bladet fastsurrat med kokosgarn. Det långa trähandtaget är prytt med reliefer, ofta i genombrutet arbete.
Litt.: Te Rngi Hiroa (Peter H. Buck): Arts and crafts of the Cook Islands. BPBM-B 1979, Honolulu 1944. pp. 379-396.
Denna yxa hör till Bucks klass 2, pp. 382f.: yxor vars handtag är av den storleksordningen att det behövs mer än en hand för att man skulle kunna "använda" dem.
Om dessa yxors funktion säger Buck (pp. 394f): I have discussed elsewhere...the view that large adzes were symbols of Tane-mata-ariki, the god of craftsmen, but I could get no information as to the exact part they played in religious ritual. It is probable that master craftsmen kept a carved adz and went through some ritual with this craft symbol, when occasion warranted. In Tahiti, Tane was the god of craftsmen, who put their working adzes "to sleep" in the temple the night before engaging in some important work and "awoke" them next morning, both processes being accompanied by a set ritual. In an adz incantation from Aitutaki, refernce is made to putting the adzes underwent a temple ritual to obtain mana from the god Tane, there is little wonder that one area should have developed an adz symbol for the tuelary deity of craftsmen, Tane-mata.ariki.