CARVING VARIATIONS ON OCEANIC CLUBS

[Tim Simmons]

With regard to the latter carved clubs from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. I have read art historians discuss them in terms of decadence and corruption but they still look jolly lovely to me. Also not rare but try a buy one!!!!!

[VANDOO]

UNFORTUNATELY THE MAJORITY OF CLUBS YOU SEE FOR SALE TODAY ARE 1950'S TO THE PRESENT. EVEN WORSE IS THEY OFTEN GO FOR A HIGH PRICE ON EBAY . YOU DO SEE A GOOD OLD ONE FROM THE TIMES WHEN THEY WERE STILL A WEAPON BUT THEY ARE RARE.
THE CLUB YOU PICTURED IS ATTRIBUTED TO NEW CALADONIA AND IN THE OLD DAYS THAT PARTICULAR STIPPLED DESIGN YOU HAVE ON YOURS WAS SAID TO HAVE BEEN CUT WITH RATS TEETH. THEY ARE OFTEN REFFERED TO AS MUSHROOM OR PHALLIC CLUBS I THINK THE LATTER IS MORE LIKELY AS OCEANIC SOCIETYS ALL BELIEVED IN FERTILITY AND LOTS OF CHILDREN. (ITS A NICE ONE )
THE PICTURES OF THE CLUBS I POSTED ABOVE IN THE LAST POST ARE CONSISTANT OF ONE OF THE OLDER FORMS OF BUTT (HANDLE END) ON THE FIJI CLUBS. THE OTHER COMMON FORM ON THE OLD ONES IS MORE PHALLIC. SEE ONE EXAMPLE PHALLIC AND ONE EXAMPLE OLD TOTIKA OR PINAPPLE CLUB NOTE SENNET WRAPPED HANDLE. AND ONE NEW TONGAN STYLE ULA HANDLE. AND ONE PRE 1850 EXAMPLE OF THE FIJIAN TAVA TAVA DESIGN.
THE POLE ARM YOU PICTURED IS UNUSUAL IT REMINDS ME OF SOME SORT OF MAK BLADE WITH AN OCEANIC HANDLE. APPEARS TO HAVE A LOT OF AGE AND WEAR IF IT ONLY COULD TALK.
I HOPE THE FREE ADVERTIZEMENT FOR THE DEALER DOSEN'T BREAK ANY RULES. I HAVE HAD IT FOR QUITE A WHILE SO ITS NOT A RECENT ITEM FOR SALE AND I DON'T HAVE SOFTWARE TO CROP PICTURES ANYMORE SO ITS THE BEST I CAN DO.

[fearn]

There is at least two books on the old club types. I'm looking for my (photo)copies at the moment.

A few comments:
--woodwork tends to be distinctive by island, so long as the people making the clubs aren't reading the same books we are.
--When a club is made with metal tools, the lines tend to be simpler and rounder. We're not likely to see many clubs made with stone, bone, or shell tools, but the decorations are different and distinctive.
--Iron reached the pacific a long time ago, and many clubs were made for the tourist trade, even back in the 1850s.

Fun topic. Thanks Vandoo!

F

[VANDOO]

THERE ARE SOME OLD CLUBS MOSTLY IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS THAT STILL HAVE THE FIBER WRAPPING ON THE HANDLES. THE FIBER BECOMES DRY AND BRITTLE SO MOST OLD EXAMPLES HAVE LOST IT LONG AGO. I THINK MANY OF THE OLDER KIAKAVO (WRONGLY CALLED GUNSTOCK CLUBS) HAD WRAPPINGS OF EITHER SENNET (CORD MADE FROM COCONUT FIBERS) CORD MADE FROM HUMAN HAIR WAS ALSO USED. OR WOVEN FIBER MADE FROM PALM OR PANDANUS LEAVES OFTEN WITH COLORS AND PATTERNS. THE VUNIKAU (ROOTSTOCK CLUBS) ALSO HAD SENNET CORD WRAPPINGS ON THEIR SHAFTS. LESS COMMONLY CORD WRAP COULD BE FOUND ON TOTOKIA (WRONGLY CALLED PINEAPPLE CLUBS) AND CULACULA (PADDLE CLUBS FOUND IN FIJI BUT THOUGHT TO BE OF TONGAN OR SAMOAN ORIGIN)
THERE ARE MANY DRAWINGS IN "FIJIAN WEAPONS & WARFARE" BY FERGUS CLUNIE.
ANOTHER GOOD SOURCE DEALING WITH ALL OCEANIC CLUBS IS " ETHNOGRAPHICAL ALBUM OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS" BY EDGE PARTINGTON

THERE ARE TWO PICTURES OF A FIJI TOTIKA WITH BOTH SENNET AND HUMAN HAIR CORD.
THERE IS ONE PICTURE OF TWO PADDLE TYPE CLUBS FROM THE SOLOMON ISLANDS WITH DECORATIVE FIBER WRAPS.

[Tim Simmons]

Decadence or a flowering of traditional arts? A mastery of the new carving tools? Even as a non-expert I think it is possible to recognise in many old pieces a decline in artistry. This picture is from "Pacific Encounters- Art & Divinity in Polynesia 1760-1860" British Museum Press {a must have}. It is not too expensive and I think is still available from amazon.UK. Perhaps this could be seen as decadent over even earlier forms, bearing in mind metal tools could well have been in the hands of court artists from at least the very early 1700s.