MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 3: FIJI

[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

[VANDOO]

#1. MARINE IVORY INLAY TO BUTT END OF A FIJI BOWAI, POLE CLUB
#2. FIJIAN DUI CLUB
#3. FIJI CLUBS TIKI DECOR, ISLANDS RESTAURANT SAN DIEGO. CA.
#4. 3 FIJI KIVAKIO CLUBS WITH INTACT FIBER WRAP ON SHAFTS.
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW.

[VANDOO]

#1. OUR OLD FRIEND CANNIBAL TOM IS BACK POSED WITH A DIFFERENT CLUB FOR THE SEASON.
#2. & #3. FIJI 35 INCH CULA CULA CIRCA 1980
#4. FIJI BUL BUL VITI CLUB SET WITH SPERM WHALE TOOTH INLAYS
#5. FIJI ULA THROWING CLUB, 44 CM. LONG
#6. FIJI DRUMS IT APPEARS ANY OLD STICK OR PIECE OF FIRE WOOD CAN SERVE AS A DRUM STICK.
#7. FIJI WARRIOR
#8. FIJI WARRIOR WITH TOTOKIA CLUB
#9. FIJI SPURRED CLUB WITH FIBER WRAP
#10. FIJI TOTOKIA
#11. FIJI OLD ULA THROWING CLUB HEAD

[VANDOO]

#1., #2., #3., & #4. FIJI TOTOKIA 19TH CENTURY, 31.5 INCHES LONG
#5. FIJI TOTOKIA
#6. & #7. FIJI OLD CALCULATA CLUB
#8. FIJI LIGHT WEIGHT THROWING HUNTING CLUB
#9.NICE OLD FIJI ULA THROWING CLUB
#10. FIJI TOTOKIA 88 CM. LONG HUMAN FRONT TOOTH OR IVORY INLAYED
#11. & #12. FIJI WARRIORS WITH CLUBS.

[motan]

Totally not my area, but wonderful stuff, as usual.

[VANDOO]

#1., & #2. FIJI GUGU CLUB WITH FULL WRAP, 31.5 INCHES LONG
#3. PRESENTS WERE PRESENTED TO THE CHIEFS AT CERTAIN TIMES. THIS SHOWS SOME OF THE ITEMS PRESENTED ON SUCH OCCASIONS, OVER 7 MILES OF CORD MADE FROM COCONUT HUSKS GOOD FOR MANY THINGS ESPECIALLY RIGGING ON CANOES. MATS, KAVA KAVA BOWLS ,SWEET POTATOES ,ECT. AND PERHAPS A FEW CLUBS. A FEAST USUALLY ACCOMPANIED THE CEREMONY AND FESTIVITY'S.
#4. FIJI TOTOKIA CLUB 88 CM. LONG 1800'S TO MID 1900'S
#5. A MODERN TOURIST CLUB FIJI , FANTASY NON- TRADITIONAL
#6. THRU #10. FIJI CLUB A UNUSUAL FORM THAT I HAVE FOUND NO NAME FOR
#11. A FORM IDENTIFIED AS FROM FIJI, I AM NOT SURE OF THIS ONE AS THE FORM THOUGH UNUSUAL IS FOUND OVER A WIDE REGION.
THANKS FOR THE REPLY THEY ARE ALWAYS WELCOME, ALL OF MY CLUB POSTS ARE AN OPEN REFERENCE SO PICTURES AND INFORMATION ON ANY FIJI CLUBS WOULD BE WELCOME HERE FROM ANY FORUM MEMBERS. IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER JOIN UP ITS FREE AND THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE.

[drac2k]

I recently acquired several clubs; among these is what I believe to be a Fijian KiaKavo Club. These have been referred to by some as a "Dance Club," however this one is so massive & heavy that is not conducive to dancing; it measures 38" long and it has a 7" circumference on the smallest part of the handle.
I thought it to be an oddball, but once again VANDOO'S thread came to the rescue showing warriors holding similar huge clubs.
In regards to the other two items, at least one or both could be food pounders; they are very heavy and the measure approx. 24" long. Any help would be appreciated.

[Tim Simmons]

Your Fijian club looks rather late but still a very nice example. What a person writes in a book can become the definitive view for the unimaginative. In the 19th century the Fijians may well of danced with their clubs just as much as they spit head open with them. As I say your club does late. What I find far more interesting are the two other clubs far less common and at the time being I do not think they are Fijian, certainly the one with the decorated handle. I need some time to check. Really like the decorated one. I have sold all my Fijian clubs, many are far from rare even ubiquitous especially the Ulas but still command high prices here in the UK. The two interesting will be over looked.

ps. I have made up my mind the two nice clubs are not Fijian. They are from further east of the islands of Fiji

[Tim Simmons]

The club without decoration I feel is certainly from the Solomons. The other has decoration I would think from further south. I had similar form clubs from the New Hebrides but these are not from those islands as far as my collecting experience goes.

[drac2k]

Thank you for your input; the Fijian was listed as 20th century, so maybe WW2 or a little earlier? It is massive and made of a very heavy dense wood, so I don't think it is a "tourist piece," if no other reason than it would not be cost effective to make these and because of the size a major pain to carry home.
In regards to the other 2 pieces, is it your belief that they are not food pounders but clubs? They are also of a very heavy dense wood. The one club with the decoration on the handle reminds me of the handle of a Massim war club with the flat, wide blade, but I couldn't find any examples like mine.

[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.