Unknown club / ceremonial piece - this time Polynesian - up for identification
 

Okay... here's another piece up for identification and/or discussion. Like the knife discussed here, this, too, belongs to the same friend. Unlike the knife, I brought this home with me yesterday, feeling some momentum after acquiring the Solomon Islands war club I picked up this last weekend (posted in the Oceanic carvings thread).

At approx. 425 grams and 79 cm in length, it lacks the mass-to-size ratio of the aforementioned club, but still feels substantial. It also lacks the appearance and "feel" of age the (Solomon Islands) club has. It is carved on both sides, and the tiki carvings on the handle are 3-dimensional, carrying over the sides (see the photo below).

My question - aside from any suggested attribution (Polynesian? Micronesian? And where, exactly?) - is whether this piece is ceremonial in nature, or do you think it was just made as tribal art for the tourist trade?

It's a beautiful piece, and like the knife I linked to above, I am under no obligation to purchase it (though I'm kind of looking for an excuse to... ;) ).

And as always, any and all assistance is kindly appreciated.

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/619/fullh.jpg

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/2210/motif.jpg

http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/8278/handletikis.jpg

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/8050/tikiside.jpg

My first impression is relatively modern art piece, and the art is evocative of Polynesia. It's supposed to look a bit like a barbed spear-head, but it has a loop in place of a shaft... It is neat, and if you like it, go for it.

Best,

F

I would agree with fearn that this is not old and a recent art piece. It appears to be from the Cook Islands judging by the figure carving which are very traditional in form.

Thank you both Fearn and Tim. My gut told me as much, though I was holding on to some slim degree of hope that it might be identified as a functional piece... While it will go back to its owner, I can at least pass on the information you have shared with me, which he will appreciate - thanks. :)