A New Guinea Club, Adze, and Tiwi Ceremonial Club

VANDOO · 11th July 2016, 09:04 PM

A very early, fine old forked ceremonial club, Tjapara Timirrikamara from the Tiwi Islands Bathurst & Melville Islands Northern Territory.

These were used in Pukamani ceremony and in Ritual battle.

This type of club is patterned after a weapon in Tiwi mythology. Purukapali & Tjapara fought over the body of Purukapali’s son Djinini. Tjapara threw his forked fighting club which severely wounded his opponent who only had a bulbed kutunga fighting club. Tjapara became the moon and the facial injuries he suffered may still be seen on a clear night. The forked club remains known as Tjapara’s fighting club

HERE IS SOME INFORMATION ON THIS TYPE OF CLUB. A NICE OLDER EXAMPLE.

drac2k · 12th July 2016, 12:46 AM

Thanks very much for the detailed information ;I had been wondering for years what it was.

stekemest · 12th July 2016, 11:43 AM

I am always surprised by the similarity between New Guinea maces and their counterparts in South America. The same basic shapes like four-, five- and six-spiked star heads (Andean cultures) or pineapple heads (Mexico) reoccur. Coincidence?

11th July 2016, 09:04 PM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	A very early, fine old forked ceremonial club, Tjapara Timirrikamara from the Tiwi Islands Bathurst & Melville Islands Northern Territory. These were used in Pukamani ceremony and in Ritual battle. This type of club is patterned after a weapon in Tiwi mythology. Purukapali & Tjapara fought over the body of Purukapali’s son Djinini. Tjapara threw his forked fighting club which severely wounded his opponent who only had a bulbed kutunga fighting club. Tjapara became the moon and the facial injuries he suffered may still be seen on a clear night. The forked club remains known as Tjapara’s fighting club HERE IS SOME INFORMATION ON THIS TYPE OF CLUB. A NICE OLDER EXAMPLE.

12th July 2016, 12:46 AM	#2
drac2k Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,258	Thanks very much for the detailed information ;I had been wondering for years what it was.

12th July 2016, 11:43 AM	#3
stekemest Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Posts: 183	I am always surprised by the similarity between New Guinea maces and their counterparts in South America. The same basic shapes like four-, five- and six-spiked star heads (Andean cultures) or pineapple heads (Mexico) reoccur. Coincidence?