A New Guinea Club, Adze, and Tiwi Ceremonial Club

drac2k · 10th July 2016, 09:33 PM

From what I could find , this type of Tiwi club was a ceremonial item, possibly used in mortuary ceremonies . The adze head has a pretty good cutting edge, but the rest of the surface is rough;it definitely had a working life; the haft is pretty nice, so now I'm wondering if the head was retired and combined with a newer handle, also for ceremonial purposes even though the entire piece is pretty heavy and large. It feels like it could be very effective. I agree about the oil based paint, but I'm not sure who applied it; was it native done, idiot done, or like a great many Civil War Swords, that I've found in Veteran's Halls, painted gold to "enhance," it's beauty.
In regards to the pineapple club ,I'm not sure about the hardness of the stone, but I would guess softer rather than harder.I don't think the club is terribly old, but I know it is at least it is 40 years old, based on the date it was added to the previous collection.

10th July 2016, 09:33 PM	#3
drac2k Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,258	From what I could find , this type of Tiwi club was a ceremonial item, possibly used in mortuary ceremonies . The adze head has a pretty good cutting edge, but the rest of the surface is rough;it definitely had a working life; the haft is pretty nice, so now I'm wondering if the head was retired and combined with a newer handle, also for ceremonial purposes even though the entire piece is pretty heavy and large. It feels like it could be very effective. I agree about the oil based paint, but I'm not sure who applied it; was it native done, idiot done, or like a great many Civil War Swords, that I've found in Veteran's Halls, painted gold to "enhance," it's beauty. In regards to the pineapple club ,I'm not sure about the hardness of the stone, but I would guess softer rather than harder.I don't think the club is terribly old, but I know it is at least it is 40 years old, based on the date it was added to the previous collection.