Out clubbing again...

kronckew · 17th July 2014, 08:07 AM

why do i keep doing this. (because of the thrill of discovery)

found this mystery club from the USA. estate sale. no other info. 31" long x 4 1/2" wide. odd reddish ochre colour. black gunk on pommel partially coming off. carved snakey pattern of grooves. looks almost like a woomera without a spike to engage the spear. postage is costing me more that the item

.

Sajen · 17th July 2014, 06:17 PM

I think that it is a woomera, maybe the spike is broken/missing.

Regards,
Detlef

LJ · 17th July 2014, 07:11 PM

My first thought was a woomera, because they often have a piece of flint fixed in the gum on the 'handle' end for use as a cutting tool.

But, looking through Edge Partington's 'Ethnographic Album of the Pacific Islands' I saw examples of another type of Australian artefact which this could be. They are often called swords, although I'm not sure if it is actually a misleading name (because I don't know if they were actually used as cutting weapons). Edge Partington illustrates examples that seem to have the gum on the handle.

Origin Western Desert ? Anyway, a good example, so congratulations !

kronckew · 18th July 2014, 09:17 AM

interesting. i'd assume that it is fairly rare. i looked carefully at the business end where a spike would have been in the popup enlargement, did not see any damage where the bone spike would have been attached and broken off. will of course look hard when it arrives. if it is in fact a woomera, that's not too shabby, they're not a dime a dozen either. if it's a sword club, even better to me. similar but more elaborate sword clubs are used in the pacific oceanic islands flat but edged profile, and have been noted in the history books as capable of hacking and removing limbs. you do not need to be especially sharp to do that. tho it helps.

a fairly dull edge still concentrates the force of a blow that might not otherwise break bones.

the attached photo of a similarly carved woomera shows the tit on the end where the spike would be. i gather the cross section of the woomera were not necessarily symmetrical about both axis like a sword, so i'll be looking for that too.

kronckew · 18th July 2014, 10:39 AM

found this (attached) photo of a similar flat paddle woomera with the flint pommel piece. source also mentioned the woomera were shaped like that so they could also function as a sword club after you ran out of spears, i guess it saved having to carry more than one thing...

kronckew · 28th July 2014, 11:04 AM

heavy club arrived today, profile is curved one side, flat the other, with the centre third slightly dished. edges are quite sharp, tho the 'point' isn't, it's flat about an eigth of an inch wide over three inche. no sign that the end ever had a tooth or spike for spear throwing. carving ends slightly before the edge all the way round the flat tip - which is at a slight angle to the centreline. length/width as noted above, weight is 880 grams, or just under two lbs. 'black stuff' on pommel mentioned by vendor is indeed tree resin. this is much heavier than i would expect for a spear thrower, having used atl-atl throwers. also a bit long. not sure how heavy an average woomera would be.

S.Workman · 28th July 2014, 11:10 AM

Maybe it's a kind of murrawirrie, an Aborigine wooden sword. I don't know much about them, but I am sure that the google has more. Gotta go to work, bye!

ausjulius · 28th July 2014, 01:20 PM

looks like a spear thrower /sword club combination, based on the dished portion you mention but if it is lacking a tip for the spear then maybe not.
sword clubs seem to have been most popular in the northern regions of what is south australia and in north queensland.. some were up to 1.5 meters in length and curved like a giant boomerang.
its a nice peice you have and is genuine not a tourist item and not an item made with modern tools,
imagine somebody carved with with a bit of porcelain, chert or glass.
considering how had the wood is , these things tool them a long time to make. especially when you compare for example a wood workers workshop in fiji even before then arrival of iron tools he had an organished work area and a array of carving tools , everything on had. but here somebody carved the whole thing sitting on the ground with maybe 2 tools. an axe and a small stone blade..
quite a job!

kronckew · 28th July 2014, 02:13 PM

thanks, juius.

i've added closeups of both sides of the tip area, no sign of a thrower spike/barb or a place one would have gone. couple age cracks here & there.

17th July 2014, 08:07 AM	#1
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,182	Out clubbing again... why do i keep doing this. (because of the thrill of discovery) found this mystery club from the USA. estate sale. no other info. 31" long x 4 1/2" wide. odd reddish ochre colour. black gunk on pommel partially coming off. carved snakey pattern of grooves. looks almost like a woomera without a spike to engage the spear. postage is costing me more that the item . Attached Images

18th July 2014, 09:17 AM	#4
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,182	interesting. i'd assume that it is fairly rare. i looked carefully at the business end where a spike would have been in the popup enlargement, did not see any damage where the bone spike would have been attached and broken off. will of course look hard when it arrives. if it is in fact a woomera, that's not too shabby, they're not a dime a dozen either. if it's a sword club, even better to me. similar but more elaborate sword clubs are used in the pacific oceanic islands flat but edged profile, and have been noted in the history books as capable of hacking and removing limbs. you do not need to be especially sharp to do that. tho it helps. a fairly dull edge still concentrates the force of a blow that might not otherwise break bones. the attached photo of a similarly carved woomera shows the tit on the end where the spike would be. i gather the cross section of the woomera were not necessarily symmetrical about both axis like a sword, so i'll be looking for that too. Attached Images Last edited by kronckew; 18th July 2014 at 09:32 AM.

18th July 2014, 10:39 AM	#5
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,182	found this (attached) photo of a similar flat paddle woomera with the flint pommel piece. source also mentioned the woomera were shaped like that so they could also function as a sword club after you ran out of spears, i guess it saved having to carry more than one thing... Attached Images

28th July 2014, 11:04 AM	#6
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,182	heavy club arrived today, profile is curved one side, flat the other, with the centre third slightly dished. edges are quite sharp, tho the 'point' isn't, it's flat about an eigth of an inch wide over three inche. no sign that the end ever had a tooth or spike for spear throwing. carving ends slightly before the edge all the way round the flat tip - which is at a slight angle to the centreline. length/width as noted above, weight is 880 grams, or just under two lbs. 'black stuff' on pommel mentioned by vendor is indeed tree resin. this is much heavier than i would expect for a spear thrower, having used atl-atl throwers. also a bit long. not sure how heavy an average woomera would be. Last edited by kronckew; 28th July 2014 at 11:24 AM.

28th July 2014, 02:13 PM	#9
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,182	thanks, juius. i've added closeups of both sides of the tip area, no sign of a thrower spike/barb or a place one would have gone. couple age cracks here & there. Attached Images

17th July 2014, 06:17 PM	#2
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 8,770	I think that it is a woomera, maybe the spike is broken/missing. Regards, Detlef

17th July 2014, 07:11 PM	#3
LJ Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 93	My first thought was a woomera, because they often have a piece of flint fixed in the gum on the 'handle' end for use as a cutting tool. But, looking through Edge Partington's 'Ethnographic Album of the Pacific Islands' I saw examples of another type of Australian artefact which this could be. They are often called swords, although I'm not sure if it is actually a misleading name (because I don't know if they were actually used as cutting weapons). Edge Partington illustrates examples that seem to have the gum on the handle. Origin Western Desert ? Anyway, a good example, so congratulations !

28th July 2014, 11:10 AM	#7
S.Workman Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 116	Maybe it's a kind of murrawirrie, an Aborigine wooden sword. I don't know much about them, but I am sure that the google has more. Gotta go to work, bye!

28th July 2014, 01:20 PM	#8
ausjulius Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: musorian territory Posts: 422	looks like a spear thrower /sword club combination, based on the dished portion you mention but if it is lacking a tip for the spear then maybe not. sword clubs seem to have been most popular in the northern regions of what is south australia and in north queensland.. some were up to 1.5 meters in length and curved like a giant boomerang. its a nice peice you have and is genuine not a tourist item and not an item made with modern tools, imagine somebody carved with with a bit of porcelain, chert or glass. considering how had the wood is , these things tool them a long time to make. especially when you compare for example a wood workers workshop in fiji even before then arrival of iron tools he had an organished work area and a array of carving tools , everything on had. but here somebody carved the whole thing sitting on the ground with maybe 2 tools. an axe and a small stone blade.. quite a job!

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