Oceanic clubs

VANDOO · 5th December 2008, 02:00 AM

I USED TO HAVE QUITE A FEW PICTURES OF A GOOD RANGE OF THESE CLUBS AS WELL AS THOUSANDS OF OTHER PICTURES COLLECTED OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS. BUT THE GREAT GOD OF THE INTERNET MICROSOFT RECENTLY GAVE ME A FREE UPGRADE I DID NOT APPROVE OF OR ASK FOR AND IT IS NOW GONE ALONG WITH ALL MY ADDRESSES AND OTHER COMPUTER FILES AND FUNCTIONS. SO I CAN ONLY OFFER PICTURES OF A MAP AND ONE RECENT CLUB SOUVINEER QUALITY, DEFINITELY A DANCE/WALLHANGER. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF THESE COMING FROM THAT AREA LATELY AS THE EBAY ETH. ART DEALERS HAVE BEEN PUTTING THEM UP A LOT. EVEN THE OLDER PLAIN ONES USED TO BE REASONABLY PRICED BUT NOW THEY ARE WORKS OF ART NOT WEAPONS SO HANG ON TO YOUR WALLET THE SAME CAN BE SAID OF AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL WEAPONS LATELY.
BUT THEY ARE STILL A BARGAIN COMPARED TO GOOD SOUTH PACIFIC CLUBS. SUCH AS MARQUESAS, COOK ISLANDS, FIJI, ECT.

Gavin Nugent · 7th December 2008, 12:22 PM

Thanks Vandoo.

Here is a link and a little more info as Fearn has already pointed out. It seems they were an every day use item, maybe the plainer type I presented denote a more common place in their society? Maybe the are just really old?

http://webprojects.prm.ox.ac.uk/arms...s/1900.55.400/

Gav

Gavin Nugent · 31st December 2008, 01:21 AM

Hi guys and gals,

Here are the images of these clubs now that they have arrived.

They are both king and queen ebony, being a mixture of Black (king) and Brown (queen) ebony.

Very smooth old wood patina, lovely to the eye and touch.

The larger looking club has a hilt of 20cms overall, being 8cms wide at the cross guard. The "blade" is 53cms long, being 6cms wide at the hilt and swelling to 8cms wide near the tip. The hilt it approx 3cms thick at the widest point and the blade is approx 2cms thick at the widest point with a lovely oval taper to the "cutting" edge.

The other has a hilt of 19cms long, cross guard of 8cms, blade 53cms long, being 4cms wide at the hilt and 8cms at the tip, the pommel is 4cms thick and the cross guard is 3 cms thick, the blade being 2cms thick at the hilt and 1.5 cms thick at the tip, again with a lovely oval cross section.

They are a devistating weapon and my appreciation for ethnographical clubs has grown considerabely upon handling these two.

Gav

fearn · 31st December 2008, 02:28 AM

Niiiiice! Congrats on getting them!

F

Gavin Nugent · 31st December 2008, 02:54 AM

Thanks Fearn,

Looking at image one in the last post by me, the pommels have a "crown" look to it that I have seen somewhere else in the spaces of time but I cannot put my finger on it. Can yourself or anyone else point out where I have seen this "style" of crown or Head Dress???

Gav

VANDOO · 31st December 2008, 05:21 AM

LOOKS LIKE TWO GOOD OLD ONES MADE FOR USE NOT SHOW. CONGRADULATIONS!

THESE CLUBS FALL INTO THE CATAGORY OF SWORD LIKE CLUBS AS THEY CAN CUT AS WELL AS BREAK BONES. THE FORM HAS SHARP EDGES AND SOMETIMES HAS A SHARP TIP BUT THIS FORM FROM THIS AREA USUALLY HAS THE WIDE BLUNT TIP, AT LEAST THE OLD ONES I HAVE SEEN DO.
I AM NOT SURE OF THE TIME LINE OF THIS FORM OF CLUBS BUT SUSPECT THEY ARE PRE-CONTACT AT LEAST AS FAR AS EUROPEAN CONTACT AND THE ARRIVAL OF METAL TOOLS. SO ANY SIMULARITYS TO EUROPEAN WEAPONS IS PROBABLY COINCIDENCE, THE SHAPE OF THE POMMEL PROBABLY HAS SOME TRIBAL SYMBOLISM AND REPRESENTS SOMETHING FROM THEIR CULTURES BELIEFS.
MOST CLUBS ARE DESIGNED FOR BLUNT TRAMA AND BONE AND HEAD BREAKING. FIJI CLUBS RANGE FROM THROWING CLUBS TO BONE BREAKERS TO ONES TO POKE A HOLE IN A HEAD VERY EASILY. SAMOA HAS QUITE A FEW WITH ONE OR MORE ROW OF SPIKES ALONG THE EDGES DESIGNED TO POKE HOLES AS WELL AS BREAK BONES.
THE MAORI OF NEW ZEALAND FENCED WITH THEIR SHORT PATA CLUBS AS WELL AS THE LONGER TYPES OF CLUBS THEY ALSO HAVE SHARP EDGES DESIGNED TO CUT AND BREAK BONES. THATS JUST A BRIEF RUNDOWN ON CLUBS BUT THERE IS QUITE A RANGE OF TYPES AND PROBABLY MANY DIFFERENT FIGHTING STYLES.

THE GROOVE ON THE END PROBABLY HAD A WOVEN FIBER BAND TO HELP KEEP IT FROM SPLITTING AND SOMEWHERE I REMEMBER SEEING SOME FEATHERS OR SOMETHING ATTACHED TO SUCH BANDS AND READ THEY WERE TO WAVE AT YOUR ENEMY WHILE TAUNTING HIM. PERHAPS WHEN YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH IF YOU RUN ACROSS ANYTHING YOU CAN ADD THE REFRENCES HERE. MY MEMORY OF WHERE OR WHEN I SAW OR READ SOMETHING CAN ONLY BE CONSIDERED CONJECTURE UNTIL THE REFRENCES CAN BE FOUND AND NOTED.

Tim Simmons · 20th August 2009, 05:29 PM

I snaffled this last weekend. I show it with a Vanuatu club just to give you an idea of how skullsplittingjawbrakingbonesmashingly!!!! nice it is.

I have found amongest other information from "The Art of Kula" Shirley F Campell, an Aussie. That a great deal of wood artifacts were made and traded through out the Massim area. There was a large centre of manufacture at Boitalu in the Kuboma district. In the Trobriand Islands there are two types of wood carver the "tokabitam" who carved with magic and "tokataraki" who did not. The Kuboma and other tokatarati carved utilitarian items like bowls, plates, combs, clubs. They were looked down on by the tokabitam.

5th December 2008, 02:00 AM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	I USED TO HAVE QUITE A FEW PICTURES OF A GOOD RANGE OF THESE CLUBS AS WELL AS THOUSANDS OF OTHER PICTURES COLLECTED OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS. BUT THE GREAT GOD OF THE INTERNET MICROSOFT RECENTLY GAVE ME A FREE UPGRADE I DID NOT APPROVE OF OR ASK FOR AND IT IS NOW GONE ALONG WITH ALL MY ADDRESSES AND OTHER COMPUTER FILES AND FUNCTIONS. SO I CAN ONLY OFFER PICTURES OF A MAP AND ONE RECENT CLUB SOUVINEER QUALITY, DEFINITELY A DANCE/WALLHANGER. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF THESE COMING FROM THAT AREA LATELY AS THE EBAY ETH. ART DEALERS HAVE BEEN PUTTING THEM UP A LOT. EVEN THE OLDER PLAIN ONES USED TO BE REASONABLY PRICED BUT NOW THEY ARE WORKS OF ART NOT WEAPONS SO HANG ON TO YOUR WALLET THE SAME CAN BE SAID OF AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL WEAPONS LATELY. BUT THEY ARE STILL A BARGAIN COMPARED TO GOOD SOUTH PACIFIC CLUBS. SUCH AS MARQUESAS, COOK ISLANDS, FIJI, ECT. Attached Images

7th December 2008, 12:22 PM	#2
Gavin Nugent Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,818	Thanks Vandoo Thanks Vandoo. Here is a link and a little more info as Fearn has already pointed out. It seems they were an every day use item, maybe the plainer type I presented denote a more common place in their society? Maybe the are just really old? http://webprojects.prm.ox.ac.uk/arms...s/1900.55.400/ Gav

31st December 2008, 01:21 AM	#3
Gavin Nugent Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,818	Spatualte clubs Hi guys and gals, Here are the images of these clubs now that they have arrived. They are both king and queen ebony, being a mixture of Black (king) and Brown (queen) ebony. Very smooth old wood patina, lovely to the eye and touch. The larger looking club has a hilt of 20cms overall, being 8cms wide at the cross guard. The "blade" is 53cms long, being 6cms wide at the hilt and swelling to 8cms wide near the tip. The hilt it approx 3cms thick at the widest point and the blade is approx 2cms thick at the widest point with a lovely oval taper to the "cutting" edge. The other has a hilt of 19cms long, cross guard of 8cms, blade 53cms long, being 4cms wide at the hilt and 8cms at the tip, the pommel is 4cms thick and the cross guard is 3 cms thick, the blade being 2cms thick at the hilt and 1.5 cms thick at the tip, again with a lovely oval cross section. They are a devistating weapon and my appreciation for ethnographical clubs has grown considerabely upon handling these two. Gav Attached Images Last edited by freebooter; 31st December 2008 at 02:50 AM.

31st December 2008, 02:54 AM	#5
Gavin Nugent Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,818	Thanks fearn Thanks Fearn, Looking at image one in the last post by me, the pommels have a "crown" look to it that I have seen somewhere else in the spaces of time but I cannot put my finger on it. Can yourself or anyone else point out where I have seen this "style" of crown or Head Dress??? Gav

20th August 2009, 05:29 PM	#7
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,783	I snaffled this last weekend. I show it with a Vanuatu club just to give you an idea of how skullsplittingjawbrakingbonesmashingly!!!! nice it is. I have found amongest other information from "The Art of Kula" Shirley F Campell, an Aussie. That a great deal of wood artifacts were made and traded through out the Massim area. There was a large centre of manufacture at Boitalu in the Kuboma district. In the Trobriand Islands there are two types of wood carver the "tokabitam" who carved with magic and "tokataraki" who did not. The Kuboma and other tokatarati carved utilitarian items like bowls, plates, combs, clubs. They were looked down on by the tokabitam. Attached Images

31st December 2008, 02:28 AM	#4
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Niiiiice! Congrats on getting them! F

31st December 2008, 05:21 AM	#6
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	LOOKS LIKE TWO GOOD OLD ONES MADE FOR USE NOT SHOW. CONGRADULATIONS! THESE CLUBS FALL INTO THE CATAGORY OF SWORD LIKE CLUBS AS THEY CAN CUT AS WELL AS BREAK BONES. THE FORM HAS SHARP EDGES AND SOMETIMES HAS A SHARP TIP BUT THIS FORM FROM THIS AREA USUALLY HAS THE WIDE BLUNT TIP, AT LEAST THE OLD ONES I HAVE SEEN DO. I AM NOT SURE OF THE TIME LINE OF THIS FORM OF CLUBS BUT SUSPECT THEY ARE PRE-CONTACT AT LEAST AS FAR AS EUROPEAN CONTACT AND THE ARRIVAL OF METAL TOOLS. SO ANY SIMULARITYS TO EUROPEAN WEAPONS IS PROBABLY COINCIDENCE, THE SHAPE OF THE POMMEL PROBABLY HAS SOME TRIBAL SYMBOLISM AND REPRESENTS SOMETHING FROM THEIR CULTURES BELIEFS. MOST CLUBS ARE DESIGNED FOR BLUNT TRAMA AND BONE AND HEAD BREAKING. FIJI CLUBS RANGE FROM THROWING CLUBS TO BONE BREAKERS TO ONES TO POKE A HOLE IN A HEAD VERY EASILY. SAMOA HAS QUITE A FEW WITH ONE OR MORE ROW OF SPIKES ALONG THE EDGES DESIGNED TO POKE HOLES AS WELL AS BREAK BONES. THE MAORI OF NEW ZEALAND FENCED WITH THEIR SHORT PATA CLUBS AS WELL AS THE LONGER TYPES OF CLUBS THEY ALSO HAVE SHARP EDGES DESIGNED TO CUT AND BREAK BONES. THATS JUST A BRIEF RUNDOWN ON CLUBS BUT THERE IS QUITE A RANGE OF TYPES AND PROBABLY MANY DIFFERENT FIGHTING STYLES. THE GROOVE ON THE END PROBABLY HAD A WOVEN FIBER BAND TO HELP KEEP IT FROM SPLITTING AND SOMEWHERE I REMEMBER SEEING SOME FEATHERS OR SOMETHING ATTACHED TO SUCH BANDS AND READ THEY WERE TO WAVE AT YOUR ENEMY WHILE TAUNTING HIM. PERHAPS WHEN YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH IF YOU RUN ACROSS ANYTHING YOU CAN ADD THE REFRENCES HERE. MY MEMORY OF WHERE OR WHEN I SAW OR READ SOMETHING CAN ONLY BE CONSIDERED CONJECTURE UNTIL THE REFRENCES CAN BE FOUND AND NOTED.