MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 4: SAMOA

VANDOO · 3rd October 2013, 12:37 AM

BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLES I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE UNUIQUE MAORI AX WITH THE BILLHOOK,AX HEAD. THE OTHER ONE IS VERY COOL WITH A WHALEBONE HANDLE.
IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THE AX HEADS WERE VERY POPULAR TRADE GOODS WITH THE MAORI AS WELL AS OTHER OCEANIC PEOPLES AND IN THE AMERICAS AS WELL. THE SAMOANS NO DOUBT LIKED THEM TOO BUT THE SAMOAN HOOKED KNIFE WAS MORE POPULAR AS A TRADE ITEM THERE AND IS NOT SEEN ELSEWHERE AS FAR AS I KNOW.

VANDOO · 3rd October 2013, 01:14 AM

UNILATERAL TOOTHED CLUBS, ONLY ONE EDGE WITH TEETH. THERE ARE NO DOUBT OTHER FORMS IN SAMOA BUT THE NIFO OTI IS THE MOST POPULAR AND IS PERHAPS THE CLUB THAT BEST REPRESENTS SAMOA. WHY THIS IS REMAINS UNKNOWN TO ME SO MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT SOME FAMOUS WARRIOR OR CHIEF FAVORED THIS CLUB AND MADE IT FAMOUS.
NIFO =TEETH OTI = TO CUT, THE HOOK IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN USED TO CARRY THE SEVERED HEAD OF THE ENEMY HOME (TRUE OR FALSE ?) BUT IT IS A RECURRING STORY AND I HAVE HEARD IT TOLD ABOUT THE PHILIPPINE HEAD AX BACK SPIKE AS WELL.
THE BASIC FORM IS STARTED THE SAME AS THE COCONUT LEAF STALK CLUBS WITH THE HOOK CARVED ON ONE SIDE OF THE CENTER RIDGE AND THE TEETH ON THE OTHER. THE TEETH ARE USUALLY OF THE FORM WITH FOUR SIDES AND WITH EITHER NO SPACE OR VERY LITTLE BETWEEN THEM. FOR SOME REASON MANY NIFO OTI ARE USUALLY NOT CARVED WITH THE LUG AT THE PROXIMAL END FOR TIEING A CORD. VARIOUS EXAMPLES OF THE CLUB THE 4 TH CLUB IS FROM 1880. ONE PICTURE IS OF A NIFO OTI AND A ( FA' AAUFALA MACE CLUB. THE PICTURE OF THE WARRIOR WITH THE KNIFE FORM OF NIFO OTI WAS TAKEN IN 1908.

VANDOO · 3rd October 2013, 03:34 AM

#1 THERE ARE SEVERAL FORMS OF TEETH USED IN POLYNESIAN / OCEANIC CLUBS HERE IS A PICTURE SHOWING THE VARIOUS FORMS.
SEVERAL PICTURES OF THE EARLY FORMS OF NIFO OTI THAT HAD NO TEETH OR HOOK. THIS IS SPECULATION AS THE FORMS EXHISTED AT THE SAME TIME BUT THIS IS A FORM LIKELY TO HAVE EVOLVED INTO THE TOOTHED CLUB WITH HOOK. THIS CLUB DID HAVE A EDGE FOR STRIKING WHERE THE TEETH WERE LATER PLACED AND STRANGELY THE FORM WENT BACK TO THE EDGED FORM WITH THE ARRIVAL OF STEEL BLADES.
SEVERAL EXAMPLES AND ONE EXAMPLE THAT IS A UNILATERAL TOOTHED EAR FORM AND A BILATERAL TOOTHED FORM OF NIFO OTI.

VANDOO · 3rd October 2013, 03:59 AM

HERE ARE THE HOOKED AND BLADED FORMS OF THE NIFO OTI CLUB IN BOTH WOOD AND STEEL.
THE TWO WOODEN ONES PICTURED TOGETHER ARE PRE 1940.
THE BOOK PLATE WITH TWO EARED CLUBS AND 2 NIFO OTI IS FROM 1917

Billman · 3rd October 2013, 09:35 AM

Hypothesis - the Samoans has wooden clubs with or without teeth, but with a decoratiive (?) back hook before European contact. The similarity with hooked blubber knives, maybe seen on whaling ships that stopped at the islands, or maybe by Samoan crew members who worked on them, led to the adoption of steel blades, made in England during the early 19th century. Like the tomahawks that were traded with native americans by both English and French traders, these blubber knives were traded for valuables (e.g. pearls) with native Samoans.

My first image, above shows an obvious wooden copy of a machete, complete with carved rivet heads on the handles. Several of your later images, show a style of war club that is almost identical in shape to an English double edged billhook - it would be interesting to know if this shape predates European contact, or is a wooden copy of a billhook????

Below: left a Westmoreland pattern with a double edge, right a Hertfordshsire pattern with a single edge, but a curved hook on the back. There are many other regional patterns of double edged billhooks.

VANDOO · 3rd October 2013, 06:31 PM

IN THE POST ABOVE THERE IS A PICTURE OF 4 CLUBS THE LAST ONE TO THE RIGHT MAY BE THE CLOSEST TO A BILL HOOK. THIS BOOK WAS PUT OUT IN 1917 AND THE CLUBS COLLECTED BEFORE THAT AND MAY HAVE BEEN OLDER WHEN COLLECTED. I SUSPECT THE FORM WAS PRESENT IN SAMOA BEFORE CONTACT BUT CAN NOT BE SURE. THE ISLANDS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE EARLY 1700'S THE BRITISH ARRIVED AND BECAME ACTIVE THERE IN 1722 AND MISSIONARIES AND TRADERS ARRIVED IN THE 1830'S. GERMANY STARTED PLANTATIONS THERE SEVERAL YEARS LATER AND THE UNINTED STATES ARRIVED IN 1877. ALL 3 COUNTRIES HAD ALLIENCES WITH DIFFERENT SAMOAN TRIBES AND THIS LED TO TWO SAMOAN CIVIL WARS STARTING IN 1886 AND ENDING IN 1899. THE BILL HOOK WOULD UNDOUTABLY HAVE ARRIVED FOR WORK ON PLANTATIONS AND WOULD ALSO SERVE AS A WEAPON TO USE AGAINST OPPOSING FACTIONS. THIS IS LIKELY WHEN LARGE NUMBERS OF BILLHOOK /CANE KNIVES/ NIFO OTI WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPORTED. THE EUROPEAN POWERS WOULD HAVE BEEN CAREFUL NOT TO SUPPLY THE SAMOANS WITH FIREARMS BUT NO DOUBT SUPPLIED LOTS OF BLADED WEAPONS AND TOOLS. THE WHALERS MAY NOT HAVE PLAYED A IMPORTANT PART IN THIS BUT THE EARLY BLUBBER KNIVES MAY HAVE STARTED THE DESIRE OF THE SAMOANS FOR THE NIFO OTI FORM OF KNIFE INITIALLY. ALL JUST CONJECTURE
THE SAMOANS DID TAKE HEADS SO THE STEEL WEAPONS MADE THIS ACTIVITY MUCH EASIER SO CLUBS BECAME SECONDARY WEAPONS WHERE STEEL WAS AVAILABLE.
I WONDER IF TOOLS SUCH AS THE BILLHOOK WERE USED ON SHIPS? THEY WORK WELL FOR CLEARING AN AREA AND COULD BE USED TO CLEAR A CAMP OR PATH ON LAND BUT WHAT WOULD A CARPENTER OR SAILOR USE ONE FOR ON A SHIP? A MODIFIED BILLHOOK MAY HAVE BEEN USED FOR FLENSING WHALE BLUBBER , THE LONG HANDLE AND BLADE WOULD BE GOOD FOR MAKEING THE LONG DEEP CUTS AND THE HOOK ON THE BACK USED TO MOVE THE STRIPS OF BLUBBER. THERE SHOULD BE LOTS OF INFORMATION ON WHALEING IN MUSEUMS AS IT WAS A JOB ROMANTISIZED AND WRITTEN ABOUT A LOT IN THE HEYDAY OF THE BUSINESS. THE HAZZARDS OF THE PROFESSION FAR EXCEEDED ANY OF TODAYS TV PROGRAM MOST DANGEROUS JOBS.

VANDOO · 4th October 2013, 07:36 PM

A BIT MORE SAMOAN HISTORY I CAME ACROSS. THE ISLANDS HAD LARGE SANDLEWOOD TREES AND THE ISLANDERS USED THE OILS FOR MEDDICINAL PURPOSES. THE LEAVES WERE USED FOR THE FUNERAL BED AND THE WOOD WAS BURNED AT THE FUNERALS OF CHIEFS AND IMPORTANT PEOPLE. THE EUROPEAN SANDLEWOOD TRADE STARTED IN SAMOA IN 1860'S TO 1900 WHEN THE SANDLEWOOD WAS ALL GONE. THIS TRADE MOVED FROM ISLAND TO ISLAND WITH THE SAME RESULTS EVERYWHERE IT WENT.

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN YET ANOTHER OUTSIDE INFLUENCE THAT CHANGED ISLAND LIFE AND BROUGHT IN NEW IDEAS AND STUFF.

3rd October 2013, 01:14 AM	#2
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	UNILATERAL TOOTHED CLUBS, ONLY ONE EDGE WITH TEETH. THERE ARE NO DOUBT OTHER FORMS IN SAMOA BUT THE NIFO OTI IS THE MOST POPULAR AND IS PERHAPS THE CLUB THAT BEST REPRESENTS SAMOA. WHY THIS IS REMAINS UNKNOWN TO ME SO MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT SOME FAMOUS WARRIOR OR CHIEF FAVORED THIS CLUB AND MADE IT FAMOUS. NIFO =TEETH OTI = TO CUT, THE HOOK IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN USED TO CARRY THE SEVERED HEAD OF THE ENEMY HOME (TRUE OR FALSE ?) BUT IT IS A RECURRING STORY AND I HAVE HEARD IT TOLD ABOUT THE PHILIPPINE HEAD AX BACK SPIKE AS WELL. THE BASIC FORM IS STARTED THE SAME AS THE COCONUT LEAF STALK CLUBS WITH THE HOOK CARVED ON ONE SIDE OF THE CENTER RIDGE AND THE TEETH ON THE OTHER. THE TEETH ARE USUALLY OF THE FORM WITH FOUR SIDES AND WITH EITHER NO SPACE OR VERY LITTLE BETWEEN THEM. FOR SOME REASON MANY NIFO OTI ARE USUALLY NOT CARVED WITH THE LUG AT THE PROXIMAL END FOR TIEING A CORD. VARIOUS EXAMPLES OF THE CLUB THE 4 TH CLUB IS FROM 1880. ONE PICTURE IS OF A NIFO OTI AND A ( FA' AAUFALA MACE CLUB. THE PICTURE OF THE WARRIOR WITH THE KNIFE FORM OF NIFO OTI WAS TAKEN IN 1908. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 3rd October 2013 at 03:00 AM.

3rd October 2013, 03:34 AM	#3
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	#1 THERE ARE SEVERAL FORMS OF TEETH USED IN POLYNESIAN / OCEANIC CLUBS HERE IS A PICTURE SHOWING THE VARIOUS FORMS. SEVERAL PICTURES OF THE EARLY FORMS OF NIFO OTI THAT HAD NO TEETH OR HOOK. THIS IS SPECULATION AS THE FORMS EXHISTED AT THE SAME TIME BUT THIS IS A FORM LIKELY TO HAVE EVOLVED INTO THE TOOTHED CLUB WITH HOOK. THIS CLUB DID HAVE A EDGE FOR STRIKING WHERE THE TEETH WERE LATER PLACED AND STRANGELY THE FORM WENT BACK TO THE EDGED FORM WITH THE ARRIVAL OF STEEL BLADES. SEVERAL EXAMPLES AND ONE EXAMPLE THAT IS A UNILATERAL TOOTHED EAR FORM AND A BILATERAL TOOTHED FORM OF NIFO OTI. Attached Images

3rd October 2013, 03:59 AM	#4
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	HERE ARE THE HOOKED AND BLADED FORMS OF THE NIFO OTI CLUB IN BOTH WOOD AND STEEL. THE TWO WOODEN ONES PICTURED TOGETHER ARE PRE 1940. THE BOOK PLATE WITH TWO EARED CLUBS AND 2 NIFO OTI IS FROM 1917 Attached Images

3rd October 2013, 09:35 AM	#5
Billman Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 129	Hypothesis - the Samoans has wooden clubs with or without teeth, but with a decoratiive (?) back hook before European contact. The similarity with hooked blubber knives, maybe seen on whaling ships that stopped at the islands, or maybe by Samoan crew members who worked on them, led to the adoption of steel blades, made in England during the early 19th century. Like the tomahawks that were traded with native americans by both English and French traders, these blubber knives were traded for valuables (e.g. pearls) with native Samoans. My first image, above shows an obvious wooden copy of a machete, complete with carved rivet heads on the handles. Several of your later images, show a style of war club that is almost identical in shape to an English double edged billhook - it would be interesting to know if this shape predates European contact, or is a wooden copy of a billhook???? Below: left a Westmoreland pattern with a double edge, right a Hertfordshsire pattern with a single edge, but a curved hook on the back. There are many other regional patterns of double edged billhooks. Attached Images

3rd October 2013, 06:31 PM	#6
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	IN THE POST ABOVE THERE IS A PICTURE OF 4 CLUBS THE LAST ONE TO THE RIGHT MAY BE THE CLOSEST TO A BILL HOOK. THIS BOOK WAS PUT OUT IN 1917 AND THE CLUBS COLLECTED BEFORE THAT AND MAY HAVE BEEN OLDER WHEN COLLECTED. I SUSPECT THE FORM WAS PRESENT IN SAMOA BEFORE CONTACT BUT CAN NOT BE SURE. THE ISLANDS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE EARLY 1700'S THE BRITISH ARRIVED AND BECAME ACTIVE THERE IN 1722 AND MISSIONARIES AND TRADERS ARRIVED IN THE 1830'S. GERMANY STARTED PLANTATIONS THERE SEVERAL YEARS LATER AND THE UNINTED STATES ARRIVED IN 1877. ALL 3 COUNTRIES HAD ALLIENCES WITH DIFFERENT SAMOAN TRIBES AND THIS LED TO TWO SAMOAN CIVIL WARS STARTING IN 1886 AND ENDING IN 1899. THE BILL HOOK WOULD UNDOUTABLY HAVE ARRIVED FOR WORK ON PLANTATIONS AND WOULD ALSO SERVE AS A WEAPON TO USE AGAINST OPPOSING FACTIONS. THIS IS LIKELY WHEN LARGE NUMBERS OF BILLHOOK /CANE KNIVES/ NIFO OTI WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPORTED. THE EUROPEAN POWERS WOULD HAVE BEEN CAREFUL NOT TO SUPPLY THE SAMOANS WITH FIREARMS BUT NO DOUBT SUPPLIED LOTS OF BLADED WEAPONS AND TOOLS. THE WHALERS MAY NOT HAVE PLAYED A IMPORTANT PART IN THIS BUT THE EARLY BLUBBER KNIVES MAY HAVE STARTED THE DESIRE OF THE SAMOANS FOR THE NIFO OTI FORM OF KNIFE INITIALLY. ALL JUST CONJECTURE THE SAMOANS DID TAKE HEADS SO THE STEEL WEAPONS MADE THIS ACTIVITY MUCH EASIER SO CLUBS BECAME SECONDARY WEAPONS WHERE STEEL WAS AVAILABLE. I WONDER IF TOOLS SUCH AS THE BILLHOOK WERE USED ON SHIPS? THEY WORK WELL FOR CLEARING AN AREA AND COULD BE USED TO CLEAR A CAMP OR PATH ON LAND BUT WHAT WOULD A CARPENTER OR SAILOR USE ONE FOR ON A SHIP? A MODIFIED BILLHOOK MAY HAVE BEEN USED FOR FLENSING WHALE BLUBBER , THE LONG HANDLE AND BLADE WOULD BE GOOD FOR MAKEING THE LONG DEEP CUTS AND THE HOOK ON THE BACK USED TO MOVE THE STRIPS OF BLUBBER. THERE SHOULD BE LOTS OF INFORMATION ON WHALEING IN MUSEUMS AS IT WAS A JOB ROMANTISIZED AND WRITTEN ABOUT A LOT IN THE HEYDAY OF THE BUSINESS. THE HAZZARDS OF THE PROFESSION FAR EXCEEDED ANY OF TODAYS TV PROGRAM MOST DANGEROUS JOBS. Last edited by VANDOO; 3rd October 2013 at 07:08 PM.

3rd October 2013, 12:37 AM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLES I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE UNUIQUE MAORI AX WITH THE BILLHOOK,AX HEAD. THE OTHER ONE IS VERY COOL WITH A WHALEBONE HANDLE. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THE AX HEADS WERE VERY POPULAR TRADE GOODS WITH THE MAORI AS WELL AS OTHER OCEANIC PEOPLES AND IN THE AMERICAS AS WELL. THE SAMOANS NO DOUBT LIKED THEM TOO BUT THE SAMOAN HOOKED KNIFE WAS MORE POPULAR AS A TRADE ITEM THERE AND IS NOT SEEN ELSEWHERE AS FAR AS I KNOW.

4th October 2013, 07:36 PM	#7
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	A BIT MORE SAMOAN HISTORY I CAME ACROSS. THE ISLANDS HAD LARGE SANDLEWOOD TREES AND THE ISLANDERS USED THE OILS FOR MEDDICINAL PURPOSES. THE LEAVES WERE USED FOR THE FUNERAL BED AND THE WOOD WAS BURNED AT THE FUNERALS OF CHIEFS AND IMPORTANT PEOPLE. THE EUROPEAN SANDLEWOOD TRADE STARTED IN SAMOA IN 1860'S TO 1900 WHEN THE SANDLEWOOD WAS ALL GONE. THIS TRADE MOVED FROM ISLAND TO ISLAND WITH THE SAME RESULTS EVERYWHERE IT WENT. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN YET ANOTHER OUTSIDE INFLUENCE THAT CHANGED ISLAND LIFE AND BROUGHT IN NEW IDEAS AND STUFF.