MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 3: FIJI

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THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE AND DESIRABLE OF THE CLUBS FROM FIJI IS THE TOTOKIA, ALSO KNOWN AS THE PINNAPPLE CLUB OR BEAKED WAR HAMMER.
THIS CLUB ACHIVED MORE WIDESPREAD FAME IN THE STAR WARS MOVIE, IT WAS REFERRED TO AS A GAFFI STICK AND WAS CARRIED BY THE SAND PEOPLE ALSO KNOWN AS TUSKAN RAIDERS.
THE CLUB IS THOUGHT TO HAVE EVOLVED IN FIJI FROM THE EARLIER "I- TUKI" FORMS OF BATTLE HAMMER. THEY RESEMBLED THE TOTOKIA BUT EITHER LACKED THE SPIKE ENTIRELY OR HAD A VERY SHORT WIDE ONE. THESE WERE FAVORED BY CHIEFS AND FAMOUS WARRIORS AND OFTEN THE CLUB ITSELF ACHIVED FAME THRU ITS OWNERS EXPLOITS AND EARNED A NAME IT WAS USUALLY " THE PENIS OF SO AND SO" THESE CLUBS WERE OFTEN AMONG THE BURIAL GOODS OF IMPORTANT PEOPLE.
THEY WERE MADE BY BENDING A SMALL TREE AND CAUSING THE BOTTOM PART NEAR THE ROOTS TO GROW THICK. WHEN THE TREE WAS THE PROPER SIZE IT WAS HARVESTED AND THE CLUB CARVED FROM THE ONE PIECE OF WOOD. THERE ARE A FEW RARE CLUBS WITH THE SPIKE MADE OUT OF SPERM WHALE TOOTH, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN A HIGH PRESTIEGE ITEM. THESE CLUBS WERE FAST AND DID NOT REGUIRE A LARGE WINDUP OR SWING AND WERE LETHAL WITH A LOT LESS FORCE. THIS MADE THEM VERY GOOD FOR AMBUSH ALONG A TRAIL AS ONE QUICK SHORT STRIKE POKED A NEAT HOLE IN THE VICTUMS HEAD. THEY WERE GOOD FOR FIGHTING IN HEAVY BUSH AS A LARGE SWING AREA WAS NOT REQUIRED. THEY WERE JUST AS GOOD IN THE OPEN AND WERE A QUICK WAY OF FINISHING OFF WOUNDED OR OF EXECUTING CAPTIVES.
THE SPIKE OR BEAK WAS CALLED "BATI-NI-SESE" IN SOME AREAS WHICH MENT TOOTH OR BEAK OF THE KINGFISHER. THERE WERE OTHER VARIATIONS IN DIFFERENT AREAS DUE TO DIFFERENT DIALECTS.
MOST OF THIS INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN THE BOOK "FIJIAN WEAPONS & WARFARE, BY FERGUS CLUNIE, I HIGHLY RECOMEND IT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN FIJI.
HERE ARE SOME PICTURES MOST OF THESE CLUBS HAVE A ROUND HEAD BUT ONE PICTURE SHOWS AN OVAL FORM. SOME CLUBS HAVE CARVED DESIGNS ON THE GRIPS AND MANY DO NOT SOME MAY HAVE HAD FIBER WRAPS AS WELL BUT IT SEEMS TO BE VERY RARE. BUT FIBER WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED VERY LONG THIS IS TRUE ON OTHER CLUBS FROM FIJI AND ELSWHERE TOO. THE PICTURE OF TWO TOTOKIA AND SOME OTHER CLUBS HAS ONE WITH A WHALE IVORY BEAK. FOR AN IDEA OF SIZE RANGE THE ONE WITH THE OVAL HEAD IS 39.5INCHES LONG AND ONE OF THE OTHERS IS 31 INCHES LONG.THE TWO I HAVE ARE 29.5 IN. AND 30 IN. LONG. THEY CAN VARY IN MASS. THE OLDER ONES I HAVE SEEN ARE USUALLY HEAVIER WITH A LARGER HEAD AND SHAFT AND GRIP THAT IS CLOSE TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER.