MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 3: FIJI

[VANDOO]

#1, #2,#3. & #4. A EXAMPLE IF ULA KITU AS DESCRIBED IN A PREVIOUS POST BUT WITH A CARVED GRIP. GOOD OLD EXAMPLE 15 INCHES LONG.
#5. , #6. & #7. A UNUSUAL SHORT FIJI SPEAR OR DART FOR THROWING. I HAVE READ OF THROWING DARTS IN SEVERAL BOOKS ABOUT DIFFERENT ISLANDS BUT THIS IS THE FIRST I'VE SEEN. THERE IS MENTION OF A TIGA DART IN CLUNIES BOOK ON PAGE 63 UNDER THE DESCRIPTION OF ULA GASAU FROM FIGURE 21. PERHAPS THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A DART. FURTHER RESEARCH OR INFORMATION NEEDED.
# 8. 1870 PICTURE OF KAI COLO, FIJI WITH ROOTSTOCK CLUB.

[VANDOO]

A FEW MORE FIJI ULA SOMETIMES CALLED VITI THROWING CLUBS SOME EXAMPLES MAY ALREADY BE IN THE ARCHIVE BUT PERHAPS SOME OF THESE PICTURES WILL BE BETTER.
#1. & #2. ULA WITH LARGE INLAY TO HEAD AND BASE OF GRIP
#3. & #4. ULA OR VITI 21 IN. LONG, 53.3 CM. INLAYED
#5. FIJI ULA TE PAPA MUSEUM WELLINGTON N.Z.
#6. ULA WITH IVORY INLAY
#7. RARE ULA SOBA THE SMALL UNUSUAL ONE ,WITH A ULA TAVATAVA
#8. OLD MACE TYPE CLUB SAID TO BE FIJI, HEAVY TONGAN INFLUENCE
#9. 1990 ADD USING A FIJI ULA FOR A GOLF CLUB ADD. JUST FOR FUN
#10. HEAVILY INLAYED FIJI CLUB FROM THE MET MUSEUM IN NEW YORK
#11. FIJI SPEAR DANCE
#12. FIJI SPEAR, TIKAU

[VANDOO]

#1.SKETCH OF A TAVO, A RARE FORM OF FIJIAN GATA CLUB HAVING NO SPUR
#2. & #3. FIJIAN TAVO , 93 CM. LONG
#4. FIJIAN TAVO , 40 INCHES LONG
#5. FIJI GATA COMMON FORM WITH MOST OF FIBER WRAP ON SHAFT, 38 IN. LONG, 19TH. CENTURY
#6. FIJI ROOTSTOCK CLUB WITH INTACT FIBER WRAP ON SHAFT 19TH CENTURY, 42 IN. LONG.
#7. FIJI CULACULA 42.25 IN. LONG 19TH. CENTURY, FIBER WRAP INTACT.
#8. FIJI SNAIL FORM CLUB 38 IN. LONG
#9., #10. & #11. FIJIAN ROOTSTOCK CLUB 108 CM. LONG SOME FIBER WRAP PLACED FOR GRIP OR REINFORCEMENT.
#12. FIJI WARRIORS SUVA FIJI 1899

[VANDOO]

#1., #2., #3., #4. EARLY 20TH CENTURY TOTOKIA, 80 cm.
#5., #6., #7. & #8. OLD STYLE TOTOKIA 85 CM. LONG
#9. TOTOKIA FIJI
#10. TOTOKIA MADE OF VESI WOOD
#11. FIJI CLUBS ONE TOTOKIA WITH WHALE TOOTH IVORY SPIKE.
#12. VARIOUS FIJIAN CLUBS

[Battara]

Nice examples Barry. Thank you!

[VANDOO]

#1. FIJI TOTOKIA WITH A LONG SPIKE
#2. & #3. KINIKINI CIRCA 1800 TO 1900 44 IN. LONG , CASUARINA WOOD
#4. & #5. FIJI CULACULA CLUB, 106 CM., CIRCA LATE 18TH CENTURY
#6. FIJI CULACULA DETAIL
#7. FIJI CLUBS OF CULACULA AND KINIKINI FORMS
#8. & #9. A CURRENT FIJI CULACULA FOR TOURISTS, FORM TRADITIONAL BUT
ART A COMBINATION OF TRADITIONAL AND MODERN.
#10, #11. & #12. THREE MORE MODERN CLUBS FIJI

I FIRST NOTED THIS TECHNIQUE USING A BLACK COATING WITH PATTERNS
CUT THRU TO EXPOSE THE WOOD USED IN SAMOAN MODERN CLUBS. I
DON'T KNOW IF SUCH CLUBS ARE BEING MADE IN SAMOA AND FIJI OR
OTHER PLACES AT PRESENT.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THE TECHNIQUE OF BURYING THE CARVED FORM IN MUD TO PRODUCE THE BLACK COATING AND THEN DIGGING IT UP AND DOING THE FINAL CARVED OR SCRAPED PATTERNS IS HOW ITS DONE. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WAS AN OLD TECHNIQUE FROM SAMOA OR A NEW ONE ?
SO TAKE THIS AS CONJECTURE AS I AM NOT SURE OF THE ACCURACY OF THIS INFORMATION. THE ONLY OLD METHOD I HAVE BEEN AWARE OF FOR MANY YEARS COMING FROM SAMOA AND THE PACIFIC WAS DEEP CHIP CARVING FILLED IN WITH WHITE LIME. LATER BLACK INDIA INK WAS USED ON SOME CLUBS TO HIGHLIGHT THE PATTERNS ON SOME CLUBS FROM THE PACIFIC.

[VANDOO]

#1., #2. & #3. FIJI ROOTSTOCK CLUB WITH WRAPPING 110 CM.
#4. ROOTSTOCK WITH MARINE IVORY INLAY FIJI MUSEUM IN SUAVA
#5., #6., & #7. FIJI ROOTSTOCK CLUB 110 CM. LATE 18TH TO EARLY 19TH
CENTURY.
#8. SEVERAL DIFFERENT CLUBS FIJI MUSEUM SUAVA DISPLAY
#9. FIJI BULIBULI WITH CARVED SHAFT SHOWING TONGAN INFLUENCE.
#10. FIJI VOTOVOTA CLUB, A.K.A. PRICKLY GUTS
#11. FIJI GATA CLUB 41 INCHES WITH FIBER WRAP EARLY 19TH. CENTURY
#12. FIJI GATA, WITH TWO FRONT TEETH FOR EYES

[colin henshaw]

I would say the two shorter items are indeed pestles, probably from New Guinea (Massim area).

[drac2k]

Thanks; Massim Area now has 2 votes.