:

"She would consult a tohunga. The man she selected--
one of the oldest and most sacred of the Maori priests,
prophet, medicine-man, lawyer and judge."

<hw>Tolmer's Grass</hw>, <i>n</i>. a fibrous plant,
<i>Lepidosperma gladiatum</i>, Labill., <i>N.O. Cyperaceae</i>,
suitable for manufacture of paper. It is not a true grass, and
is classed by Maiden (`Useful Native Plants,' p. 626) under
fibres.

1882. A. Tolmer, `Reminiscences,' p. 298:

"The plant that has since by courtesy borne my name (Tolmer's
grass)."

<hw>Tomahawk</hw>, <i>n</i>. a word of North-American Indian
origin, applied in English to the similarly shaped short
one-handed axe or hatchet. The word is not frequent in
England, but in Australia the word <i>hatchet</i> has
practically disappeared, and the word <i>Tomahawk</i> to
describe it is in every-day use. It is also applied to the
stone hatchet of the Aboriginals. A popular corruption of it
is <i>Tommy-axe</i>.

1802. G. Barrington, `History of New South Wales,' c. xii.
p. 466:

"A plentiful assortment of . . . knives, shirts, toma-hawkes
[sic], axes, jackets, scissars [sic], etc., etc., for the
people in general."

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 259:

"We . . . observed recent marks of the stone tomahawk
of the natives."

1851. G. W. Rusden, `Moyarra,' canto i. 17, p. 25:

"One hand he wreathed in Mytah's hair,
Whirled then the tomahawk in air."

1870. E. B. Kennedy, `Fours /sic/ Years in Queensland,' p. 721:

"They [the Aboriginals] cut out opossums from a tree or sugar
bag (wild honey) by means of a tomahawk of green stone; the
handle is formed of a vine, and fixed in its place with gum.
It is astonishing what a quantity of work is got through in the
day with these blunt tomahawks."

1873. J. B. Stephens, `Black Gin,' p. 60:

"Lay aside thy spears (I doubt them);
Lay aside thy tomahawk."

1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 206:

"The aborigines have obtained iron tomahawks."

1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 73:

"Men had to cleave out a way for themselves with tomahawks."

1888. A. Reischek, in Buller's `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. ii.
p. 94:

"The snow had been blown together, and was frozen so hard that
I had to take my tomahawk to chop it down so as to get softer
snow to refresh myself with a wash."

<hw>Tomahawk</hw>, <i>v</i>. tr. to cut sheep when shearing
them.

1859. H. Kingsley, `Geoffrey Ha