MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 1: MARQUESAS

VANDOO · 9th August 2012, 10:31 PM

THE Uu Uu WAR CLUB FROM THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS IS PROBABLY NUMBER ONE ON THE LIST OF MOST COLLECTORS. BUT GOOD OLD EXAMPLES ARE RARE AND FAR BEYOND MOST COLLECTORS FINANCES AND NOT OFTEN FOR SALE. THE MARQUESANS WERE VERY WARLIKE AND COLLECTED SKULLS AS WELL AS ATE ANY WHO FELL INTO THEIR HANDS.
THEY WERE SOME OF THE MOST ARTISTIC PEOPLE IN THE ISLANDS AND EXCELLED IN WOOD, STONE AND IVORY CARVING AS WELL AS THE ART OF THE TATOO.

PAUL GAUGIN SPENT HIS LAST YEARS THERE IT WAS WELL AFTER THE TIME WHEN HE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE HONORED DISH AT THE TABLE.

NOTE THE DRAWING OF GAUGINS ENEMY BURNING ALL GAUGINS BELONGINGS AFTER HE HAD DIED, HE WANTED HIS HOUSE BUT DESPIZED HIS ART AND BELONGINGS. THERE IS A PICTURE OF A MARQUESAN VILLAGE WHICH WERE BUILT ON A TERRACE. I NOTE THE LARGE BANYAN TREE NEAR IT AND WONDER IF IT WAS USED AS A HEAD TREE TO LEAVE ENEMY HEADS IN UNTIL THEY WERE PROPERLY DECOMPOSED AND CEREMONIES PERFORMED BEFORE CLEANING AND BRINGING INTO THE VILLAGE PROPER. THIS IS DONE IN SOME OTHER HEADHUNTING CULTURES.
THESE PICTURES ARE OF OLD AUTHENTIC EXAMPLES AND I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO SHOW SOME OF THE VARIATIONS AND DETAILS. LEGNTH IS USUALLY AROUND 49 TO 51 INCHES LONG. ONE PICTURE HAS THE TRADITIONAL WRAP ON THE GRIP AS WELL AS A PICTURE OF THE CLUBS HEAD. THE WRAP IS USUALLY GONE BUT OFTEN ONE CAN SEE WHERE IT ORIGINALLY WAS IF IT HAD EVER BEEN WRAPPED.
NO DROOLING ON THE KEYBOARD IT MAKES A MESS

VANDOO · 9th August 2012, 11:22 PM

SOME OLD PRINTS AND DRAWINGS OF MARQUESAS WARRIORS WITH WEAPONS SOME FROM 1815 BOOK, TABACCO CARDS FROM GERMANY 1932 ECT. CLUBS, SPEAR, SLING AND DAGGER. NOTE THE TATOOS.

VANDOO · 9th August 2012, 11:49 PM

HERE ARE SOME OF THE MORE RECENT ART CARVINGS THEY ARE STILL DOING TODAY. THE QUALITY VARIES FROM VERY GOOD TO VERY POOR BUT SO FAR ALL I HAVE SEEN HAVE BEEN HAND CARVED WOOD BUT NO DOUBT MACHINE CARVED AND RESIN ONES ARE POSSIBLE. THE OLDER CARVINGS SEEM TO BE BETTER 1950'S THRU 1960'S. THE ITEMS ARE USUALLY SIZED TO FIT IN A SUITCASE SO FULL SIZED CLUBS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. SOME ITEMS ARE CARVED IN THE TRADITIONAL FORM BUT MANY HAVE SERRATED EDGES AS WELL AS PIERCED CARVINGS THRU OUT WITH LOTS OF TIKIS WHERE THEY WOULD NOT BE IN THE OLD TRADITIONS AND DESIGNS. PICTURE 11 IS OF THE BIG END OF A CEREMONIAL PADDLE. OTHERS ARE DAGGERS OR SHORT SPEAR TYPE WEAPONS AND CLUBS.

PERHAPS MEMBER ASH WOULD LIKE TO ADD SOME PICTURES AND INFORMATION TO THE POST ON HIS Uu EXAMPLE AS IT IS A BIT DIFFERENT FROM THOSE ALREADY PICTURED. HINT HINT

apolaki · 10th August 2012, 05:13 AM

I saw these for short handle replicas for sale at Polynesian cultural center. It was expensive though.. I think this club is beautiful nonetheless!

T. Koch · 10th August 2012, 08:02 AM

Wow Vandoo, thankyou for an awesome post! I already enjoyed your previous, but smaller post on the Uu Uu, which was the first time I'd heard about it. I knew next to nothing about clubs and wooden weapons before coming here and I don't collect them myself, so your posts has already taught me a lot. The Uu Uu, has got to be the most character-full clubs I've seen - these guys have got personallity for certain!

- actually after your previous post on the Uu Uu, my girlfriend said something like 'Aww, he's the cutest weapon in the world..."

Thanks for everything!

All the best, - Thor

VANDOO · 10th August 2012, 09:29 PM

HERE ARE PICTURES OF MY 3 EXAMPLES THE TWO LARGER ONES ARE PRE WW2 BUT HAVE BEEN BADLY TREATED BY A PREVIOUS OWNER FOR HANGING ON A WALL LONG AGO. THE SMALLER ONE IS A MORE RECENT SMALL SIZE TOURIST ART ITEM BUT VERY WELL DONE OF A HARD HEAVY WOOD. I WOULD NOT WISH TO BE CONKED BY ANY OF THEM.

THE LONGEST IS 46 INCHES, SECOND 42 INCHES AND THE BABY BEAR IS 23 3/4IN. LONG. NONE ARE GOOD OLD PRE CONTACT EXAMPLES.
SOME PICTURES OF OTHER TOURIST ARTS SOME ADZ AND ANOTHER CLUB FORM.

Royston · 25th August 2016, 12:23 AM

Oldmans catalog listing some clubs for sale.
He appears to have stopped dating the catalogues in June 1908, with number 63. They are still numbered after this.
Assuming that they continued to be monthly then catalogue number 84 from which these were taken should have been February 1910.

I have checked several websites and £18 in 1910 is somewhere between £1400 and £2000 today.

I would gladly pay the latter to have one of these.

Royston

harvg · 8th April 2021, 06:10 PM

Hi All, I usually collect Fijian artefacts, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to acquire an UU club. Any help or opinions as to age/valuation etc, would be greatly appreciated.

harvg

9th August 2012, 10:31 PM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 1: MARQUESAS THE Uu Uu WAR CLUB FROM THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS IS PROBABLY NUMBER ONE ON THE LIST OF MOST COLLECTORS. BUT GOOD OLD EXAMPLES ARE RARE AND FAR BEYOND MOST COLLECTORS FINANCES AND NOT OFTEN FOR SALE. THE MARQUESANS WERE VERY WARLIKE AND COLLECTED SKULLS AS WELL AS ATE ANY WHO FELL INTO THEIR HANDS. THEY WERE SOME OF THE MOST ARTISTIC PEOPLE IN THE ISLANDS AND EXCELLED IN WOOD, STONE AND IVORY CARVING AS WELL AS THE ART OF THE TATOO. PAUL GAUGIN SPENT HIS LAST YEARS THERE IT WAS WELL AFTER THE TIME WHEN HE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE HONORED DISH AT THE TABLE. NOTE THE DRAWING OF GAUGINS ENEMY BURNING ALL GAUGINS BELONGINGS AFTER HE HAD DIED, HE WANTED HIS HOUSE BUT DESPIZED HIS ART AND BELONGINGS. THERE IS A PICTURE OF A MARQUESAN VILLAGE WHICH WERE BUILT ON A TERRACE. I NOTE THE LARGE BANYAN TREE NEAR IT AND WONDER IF IT WAS USED AS A HEAD TREE TO LEAVE ENEMY HEADS IN UNTIL THEY WERE PROPERLY DECOMPOSED AND CEREMONIES PERFORMED BEFORE CLEANING AND BRINGING INTO THE VILLAGE PROPER. THIS IS DONE IN SOME OTHER HEADHUNTING CULTURES. THESE PICTURES ARE OF OLD AUTHENTIC EXAMPLES AND I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO SHOW SOME OF THE VARIATIONS AND DETAILS. LEGNTH IS USUALLY AROUND 49 TO 51 INCHES LONG. ONE PICTURE HAS THE TRADITIONAL WRAP ON THE GRIP AS WELL AS A PICTURE OF THE CLUBS HEAD. THE WRAP IS USUALLY GONE BUT OFTEN ONE CAN SEE WHERE IT ORIGINALLY WAS IF IT HAD EVER BEEN WRAPPED. NO DROOLING ON THE KEYBOARD IT MAKES A MESS Attached Images

9th August 2012, 11:22 PM	#2
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	SOME OLD PRINTS AND DRAWINGS OF MARQUESAS WARRIORS WITH WEAPONS SOME FROM 1815 BOOK, TABACCO CARDS FROM GERMANY 1932 ECT. CLUBS, SPEAR, SLING AND DAGGER. NOTE THE TATOOS. Attached Images

9th August 2012, 11:49 PM	#3
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	HERE ARE SOME OF THE MORE RECENT ART CARVINGS THEY ARE STILL DOING TODAY. THE QUALITY VARIES FROM VERY GOOD TO VERY POOR BUT SO FAR ALL I HAVE SEEN HAVE BEEN HAND CARVED WOOD BUT NO DOUBT MACHINE CARVED AND RESIN ONES ARE POSSIBLE. THE OLDER CARVINGS SEEM TO BE BETTER 1950'S THRU 1960'S. THE ITEMS ARE USUALLY SIZED TO FIT IN A SUITCASE SO FULL SIZED CLUBS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. SOME ITEMS ARE CARVED IN THE TRADITIONAL FORM BUT MANY HAVE SERRATED EDGES AS WELL AS PIERCED CARVINGS THRU OUT WITH LOTS OF TIKIS WHERE THEY WOULD NOT BE IN THE OLD TRADITIONS AND DESIGNS. PICTURE 11 IS OF THE BIG END OF A CEREMONIAL PADDLE. OTHERS ARE DAGGERS OR SHORT SPEAR TYPE WEAPONS AND CLUBS. PERHAPS MEMBER ASH WOULD LIKE TO ADD SOME PICTURES AND INFORMATION TO THE POST ON HIS Uu EXAMPLE AS IT IS A BIT DIFFERENT FROM THOSE ALREADY PICTURED. HINT HINT Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 10th August 2012 at 09:17 PM.

10th August 2012, 09:29 PM	#6
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	HERE ARE PICTURES OF MY 3 EXAMPLES THE TWO LARGER ONES ARE PRE WW2 BUT HAVE BEEN BADLY TREATED BY A PREVIOUS OWNER FOR HANGING ON A WALL LONG AGO. THE SMALLER ONE IS A MORE RECENT SMALL SIZE TOURIST ART ITEM BUT VERY WELL DONE OF A HARD HEAVY WOOD. I WOULD NOT WISH TO BE CONKED BY ANY OF THEM. THE LONGEST IS 46 INCHES, SECOND 42 INCHES AND THE BABY BEAR IS 23 3/4IN. LONG. NONE ARE GOOD OLD PRE CONTACT EXAMPLES. SOME PICTURES OF OTHER TOURIST ARTS SOME ADZ AND ANOTHER CLUB FORM. Attached Images

25th August 2016, 12:23 AM	#7
Royston Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Poole England Posts: 443	catalog Oldmans catalog listing some clubs for sale. He appears to have stopped dating the catalogues in June 1908, with number 63. They are still numbered after this. Assuming that they continued to be monthly then catalogue number 84 from which these were taken should have been February 1910. I have checked several websites and £18 in 1910 is somewhere between £1400 and £2000 today. I would gladly pay the latter to have one of these. Royston Attached Images

10th August 2012, 05:13 AM	#4
apolaki Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 160	I saw these for short handle replicas for sale at Polynesian cultural center. It was expensive though.. I think this club is beautiful nonetheless!

10th August 2012, 08:02 AM	#5
T. Koch Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Mother North Posts: 189	Wow Vandoo, thankyou for an awesome post! I already enjoyed your previous, but smaller post on the Uu Uu, which was the first time I'd heard about it. I knew next to nothing about clubs and wooden weapons before coming here and I don't collect them myself, so your posts has already taught me a lot. The Uu Uu, has got to be the most character-full clubs I've seen - these guys have got personallity for certain! - actually after your previous post on the Uu Uu, my girlfriend said something like 'Aww, he's the cutest weapon in the world..." Thanks for everything! All the best, - Thor

8th April 2021, 06:10 PM	#8
harvg Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 6	A Recent Acquisition Hi All, I usually collect Fijian artefacts, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to acquire an UU club. Any help or opinions as to age/valuation etc, would be greatly appreciated. harvg Attached Images