Räwiri Püaha's gun

Description

This is a 'superimposed-load' or 'four-hammer' double-barrelled shotgun. Known as 'Koatariini', it belonged to Räwiri Kïngi Püaha, a chief of the Mäori tribe Ngäti Toa Rangatira. The butt of the shotgun is made from walnut. The barrel and trigger are made from steel and brass, and are attached to the rest of the gun with a thin metal plate and metal hammers, both of which are decorated with a leaf motif. Manufactured by the Belgian firm Dewalle Brothers in about 1850, the shotgun measures 120 cm x 6 cm x 20 cm.

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