Interesting war club with cross cultural features

RSWORD · 27th January 2015, 12:32 PM

How many times have you said, "man, I wish these things could talk"? Our forum friend Charles likes cross cultural pieces and I think this fits the bill quite well. Plus, we have had a lot of club discussion lately which inspired me to share this example from my collection. It does not have the most refined carving you will ever see but it just has a lot going on that is very interesting. First, I think this is an old one. Easily 19th century but I wouldn't be surprised if it was 18th century or even possibly older. It is a heavy dense wood that has a lot of patina. It has simple geometric carvings that are done deeply and have been carved without the use of metal tools. Now, add in all the interesting European features. At the end of the club is very old iron that has been bent to make spikes and 2 rows of the same bent iron. Is this done in imitation of early war maces? I have seen Aboriginal "hobnail" pieces but the ones I have seen are nails that stick out of a club but not bent over like this. At the other end you have a lot more happening. First is a wrist loop. I am unsure of the exact material but it feels coarse and reminds me of ship rope. The way it is knotted and the coarseness and thickness of it. It has a lot of patina now and has begun to fray in some spots. Below that on the grip is some type of chord wrapping. It is covered in some type of pitch. Reminds me of jute found on Moro kris handles. Above and below the grip are leather strips and attached to that are a few old cowrie shells. So I have lots of questions about this one. Did a native get this material from a sailor or pirate and make this up? If they did, how did they bend these iron nails? Or, did a sailor or pirate pick up this war club in their travels and jazzed it up for their own use? Or are there other theories about this piece? Age? Materials? From where does the club and the material originate. Man, if these things could talk!

RSWORD · 27th January 2015, 12:33 PM

Some additional pictures.

colin henshaw · 27th January 2015, 01:12 PM

Very interesting piece, thanks for posting. The geometric carving certainly has an Oceanic look (Austral Islands ?), probably from a paddle or club shaft. The metal bits look as if added by a European, so my best guess is ... its a sailor's or beachcomber's cosh or "handy billy"... 19th century at least ?

Regards.

Shakethetrees · 27th January 2015, 02:25 PM

It almost looks like a pickax handle.

In Clunie's Fijian Weapons and Warfare he illustrates Western trade axes decorated and used Fijian style.

Could this be something similar?

trenchwarfare · 27th January 2015, 03:31 PM

ANZAC trench club? I saw a club on ebay years ago, that looked like a Knobkerrie, with added WWI hobnails, and markings.

RSWORD · 28th January 2015, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colin henshaw

Very interesting piece, thanks for posting. The geometric carving certainly has an Oceanic look (Austral Islands ?), probably from a paddle or club shaft. The metal bits look as if added by a European, so my best guess is ... its a sailor's or beachcomber's cosh or "handy billy"... 19th century at least ?

Regards.

Colin,

Thanks for the feedback. The geometric patterns definitely have an Oceanic look to them and I agree the Austral Islands could be a possibility but typically their carvings are much more refined than on this example. I don't think it is from a paddle shaft although as you can probably see from the pictures it is narrower at the handle and the widens at the end but the cross section there is quite round and I would think a paddle would be flatter. The overall length is 27" so I suppose it could be a shortened club but I have seen many clubs over the years of this same length. I agree the iron and leather are European but any ideas what country had contact in these areas(supposing in and around Austral Islands) and how early?

RSWORD · 28th January 2015, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shakethetrees

It almost looks like a pickax handle.

In Clunie's Fijian Weapons and Warfare he illustrates Western trade axes decorated and used Fijian style.

Could this be something similar?

Most axe handles tend to have a rectangular cross section and this one is round. Those native axes you mention typically have the imported axe head and that is attached to a native wood.

RSWORD · 28th January 2015, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trenchwarfare

AZAC trench club? I saw a club on ebay years ago, that looked like a Knobkerrie, with added WWI hobnails, and markings.

I know what you are referring to and while similar in design I am leaning heavily towards this club having an Oceanic origin with European iron and leather. The wood and carving style point us in that direction.

RSWORD · 28th January 2015, 12:03 PM

Jimmy, Barry,

You guys have a lot of club references and experience with these type of things. Any thoughts?

colin henshaw · 28th January 2015, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSWORD

Colin,

Thanks for the feedback. The geometric patterns definitely have an Oceanic look to them and I agree the Austral Islands could be a possibility but typically their carvings are much more refined than on this example. I don't think it is from a paddle shaft although as you can probably see from the pictures it is narrower at the handle and the widens at the end but the cross section there is quite round and I would think a paddle would be flatter. The overall length is 27" so I suppose it could be a shortened club but I have seen many clubs over the years of this same length. I agree the iron and leather are European but any ideas what country had contact in these areas(supposing in and around Austral Islands) and how early?

To try to expand on the points you have raised :-

Here are a couple of images of Austral Islands paddles that I have picked off the internet for reference. I believe fairly similar carved decoration was also used in Fiji.

Regarding European contact..as far as I know British, French and Spanish ships all explored the Pacific Islands in the late 18th/early 19th centuries. Also the US Exploring Expedition visited the South Pacific in the late 1830s. Not sure if they visited the Australs, but they did Fiji. After explorers came missionaries, traders, whalers & settlers.

Two more points of observation - the wood on the piece seems quite dry and abraded from the images, this could indicate prolonged contact with salt spray and exposure. The presence of cowrie shells and those leather tassels tend to suggest West Africa, so perhaps a sailor owner had visited there as well as the Pacific ? Possible slavery connection ??

Anyway, an intriguing object...

trenchwarfare · 28th January 2015, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSWORD

I know what you are referring to and while similar in design I am leaning heavily towards this club having an Oceanic origin with European iron and leather. The wood and carving style point us in that direction.

In helps to spell things right. I meant ANZAC: Australia and New Zealand Army Corps.

That would give it an Oceanic connection. A trip to the trenches in WWI, would add the iron.

Tim Simmons · 28th January 2015, 04:01 PM

There is some semblance to Fijian work. The cowrie has uses in Fijian culture. It looks like many ww1 trench clubs. There was a 57 strong Fijian force serving at the Somme? The cowrie would have value else where in South Pacific regions? Perhaps just a club made with a few pieces of European scrap material additions? Samoans serving with ANZAC?

trenchwarfare · 28th January 2015, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

There is some semblance to Fijian work. The cowrie has uses in Fijian culture. It looks like many ww1 trench clubs. There was a 57 strong Fijian force serving at the Somme? The cowrie would have value else where in South Pacific regions? Perhaps just a club made with a few pieces of European scrap material additions? Samoans serving with ANZAC?

No, but an Aussie, or Kiwi might have access to such.

RSWORD · 29th January 2015, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colin henshaw

To try to expand on the points you have raised :-

Here are a couple of images of Austral Islands paddles that I have picked off the internet for reference. I believe fairly similar carved decoration was also used in Fiji.

Regarding European contact..as far as I know British, French and Spanish ships all explored the Pacific Islands in the late 18th/early 19th centuries. Also the US Exploring Expedition visited the South Pacific in the late 1830s. Not sure if they visited the Australs, but they did Fiji. After explorers came missionaries, traders, whalers & settlers.

Two more points of observation - the wood on the piece seems quite dry and abraded from the images, this could indicate prolonged contact with salt spray and exposure. The presence of cowrie shells and those leather tassels tend to suggest West Africa, so perhaps a sailor owner had visited there as well as the Pacific ? Possible slavery connection ??

Anyway, an intriguing object...

Thanks for the picture from the net. Interesting that it has carved wooden protrusions at the top of the club. Would the bent nails grouped in a ball be in imitation of this?

Yes, the club is quite dry and has a lot of age splits and cracks. Is this from salt spray? Could be. The cowrie shells are quite bleached so they have had a lot if exposure to the sun at one time. The dry wood could also be fro change of climates, storage conditions, etc. it just seems quite old to me. Not sure it would be worth treating the wood at this time.

RSWORD · 29th January 2015, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

There is some semblance to Fijian work. The cowrie has uses in Fijian culture. It looks like many ww1 trench clubs. There was a 57 strong Fijian force serving at the Somme? The cowrie would have value else where in South Pacific regions? Perhaps just a club made with a few pieces of European scrap material additions? Samoans serving with ANZAC?

Having the advantage of club in hand my gut feeling is that the club is much older than WW1. I think it is an interesting theory about it being a trench club used by Fijian troops in the war but my gut tells me otherwise.

VANDOO · 30th January 2015, 05:54 AM

MY GUT AGREES WITH TIM

I THINK ITS OLDER THAN WW1. THE EARLIER HAND FORGED NAILS GO FURTHER BACK BUT THESE NAILS APPEAR TO BE CUT NAILS A.K.A. SQUARE NAILS. PRODUCTION STARTING IN 1790 THEIR HEYDAY BEING IN THE 1860'S WHEN THEY DECLINED AND WERE LATER REPLACED WITH TODAY'S WIRE NAIL FORMS. ANYTHING MADE OF IRON WAS VERY VALUABLE IN OCEANIC SOCIETIES, CAPTAIN COOK WAS KILLED IN 1779 TRYING TO RECOVER A SHIPS BOAT IN HAWAII. THE HAWAIIANS WANTED THE IRON NAILS AND OTHER FITTINGS. THESE WERE THE DAYS OF FIRST CONTACT THE CLUB WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE MUCH LATER DURING A TIME WHEN NAILS AND IRON WERE MORE PLENTIFUL AND LESS EXPENSIVE TRADE GOODS.
I SUSPECT A SAILOR FROM THE ISLANDS MAY HAVE MADE THIS CLUB HE WOULD HAVE HAD ACCESS TO A SUPPLY OF VALUABLE NAILS AS WELL AS THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE EUROPEANS AND SHIPS HANDY MAN TO USE THE NAILS TO MAKE THE CLUB. IT WOULD NOT SURPRISE ME IF HE WORKED FOR NAILS AS PAYMENT.
THE CARVING LOOKS LIKE THAT USED IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC IN FIJI AMONG OTHER PLACES. THE COWRIE SHELLS AND NAILS SHOWED WEALTH AND SERVED AS MONEY. A LOCAL RETURNING TO HIS VILLAGE WITH SUCH A CLUB WOULD IMPRESS AND SHOW HIS SUCCESS AND WEALTH.
ISLANDERS OFTEN SIGNED ON AND SERVED ON ISLAND TRADING SHIPS AND WHALING SHIPS. I WOULD GUESS THE AGE OF THE CLUB TO BE SOMEWHERE FROM THE MID 1800'S TO THE EARLY 1900'S. CERTAINLY A INTERESTING AND UNUSUAL CLUB AND AS YOU SAY WITH LOTS GOING ON. THE TWO BANDS APPEAR TO HAVE IRON RINGS UNDER THEM AND THE NAILS BENT OVER THEM. THE OTHER APPEAR TO FORM KNOBS WITH NAILS BENT OVER EACH OTHER.

LOTS OF GUESSING AND LOGICAL CONJECTURE BASED ON HISTORY AND FACTS BUT IN THE END NOT PROVENANCE , JUST A GOOD STORY.

colin henshaw · 1st February 2015, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSWORD

Thanks for the picture from the net. Interesting that it has carved wooden protrusions at the top of the club. Would the bent nails grouped in a ball be in imitation of this?

Yes, the club is quite dry and has a lot of age splits and cracks. Is this from salt spray? Could be. The cowrie shells are quite bleached so they have had a lot if exposure to the sun at one time. The dry wood could also be fro change of climates, storage conditions, etc. it just seems quite old to me. Not sure it would be worth treating the wood at this time.

Most likely the iron nails etc are just to provide a more effective striking area, rather than an imitation of the woodcarving...but who knows ?

I have a copy of a useful little book "The Art of Tahiti" by Terence Barrow 1979 - it has a section on the Austral Islands, and I attach an extract which seems relevant.

Can you tell me from where the club was sourced, was it locally in the USA ?

Regards.

fearn · 1st February 2015, 04:17 PM

One thing that's bugging me is that the carvings on the club look fairly crude, perhaps copies rather than the real thing. While I don't think it's a fake as such, I wouldn't be surprised if a sailor (or even some planter's teenage son) was copying stuff he saw to pass the time and make a cool weapon for himself. If I'd had the materials lying around, I would have made something that looked like this when I was, oh, 15 or so.

F

27th January 2015, 12:32 PM	#1
RSWORD Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 1,083	Interesting war club with cross cultural features How many times have you said, "man, I wish these things could talk"? Our forum friend Charles likes cross cultural pieces and I think this fits the bill quite well. Plus, we have had a lot of club discussion lately which inspired me to share this example from my collection. It does not have the most refined carving you will ever see but it just has a lot going on that is very interesting. First, I think this is an old one. Easily 19th century but I wouldn't be surprised if it was 18th century or even possibly older. It is a heavy dense wood that has a lot of patina. It has simple geometric carvings that are done deeply and have been carved without the use of metal tools. Now, add in all the interesting European features. At the end of the club is very old iron that has been bent to make spikes and 2 rows of the same bent iron. Is this done in imitation of early war maces? I have seen Aboriginal "hobnail" pieces but the ones I have seen are nails that stick out of a club but not bent over like this. At the other end you have a lot more happening. First is a wrist loop. I am unsure of the exact material but it feels coarse and reminds me of ship rope. The way it is knotted and the coarseness and thickness of it. It has a lot of patina now and has begun to fray in some spots. Below that on the grip is some type of chord wrapping. It is covered in some type of pitch. Reminds me of jute found on Moro kris handles. Above and below the grip are leather strips and attached to that are a few old cowrie shells. So I have lots of questions about this one. Did a native get this material from a sailor or pirate and make this up? If they did, how did they bend these iron nails? Or, did a sailor or pirate pick up this war club in their travels and jazzed it up for their own use? Or are there other theories about this piece? Age? Materials? From where does the club and the material originate. Man, if these things could talk! Attached Images

27th January 2015, 12:33 PM	#2
RSWORD Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 1,083	Some additional pictures. Attached Images

27th January 2015, 03:31 PM	#5
trenchwarfare Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 385	ANZAC trench club? I saw a club on ebay years ago, that looked like a Knobkerrie, with added WWI hobnails, and markings. Last edited by trenchwarfare; 28th January 2015 at 02:44 PM.

27th January 2015, 01:12 PM	#3
colin henshaw Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,430	Very interesting piece, thanks for posting. The geometric carving certainly has an Oceanic look (Austral Islands ?), probably from a paddle or club shaft. The metal bits look as if added by a European, so my best guess is ... its a sailor's or beachcomber's cosh or "handy billy"... 19th century at least ? Regards.

27th January 2015, 02:25 PM	#4
Shakethetrees Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Louisiana Posts: 363	It almost looks like a pickax handle. In Clunie's Fijian Weapons and Warfare he illustrates Western trade axes decorated and used Fijian style. Could this be something similar?

28th January 2015, 12:03 PM	#9
RSWORD Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 1,083	Jimmy, Barry, You guys have a lot of club references and experience with these type of things. Any thoughts?

28th January 2015, 04:01 PM	#12
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,806	There is some semblance to Fijian work. The cowrie has uses in Fijian culture. It looks like many ww1 trench clubs. There was a 57 strong Fijian force serving at the Somme? The cowrie would have value else where in South Pacific regions? Perhaps just a club made with a few pieces of European scrap material additions? Samoans serving with ANZAC?

30th January 2015, 05:54 AM	#16
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	MY GUT AGREES WITH TIM I THINK ITS OLDER THAN WW1. THE EARLIER HAND FORGED NAILS GO FURTHER BACK BUT THESE NAILS APPEAR TO BE CUT NAILS A.K.A. SQUARE NAILS. PRODUCTION STARTING IN 1790 THEIR HEYDAY BEING IN THE 1860'S WHEN THEY DECLINED AND WERE LATER REPLACED WITH TODAY'S WIRE NAIL FORMS. ANYTHING MADE OF IRON WAS VERY VALUABLE IN OCEANIC SOCIETIES, CAPTAIN COOK WAS KILLED IN 1779 TRYING TO RECOVER A SHIPS BOAT IN HAWAII. THE HAWAIIANS WANTED THE IRON NAILS AND OTHER FITTINGS. THESE WERE THE DAYS OF FIRST CONTACT THE CLUB WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE MUCH LATER DURING A TIME WHEN NAILS AND IRON WERE MORE PLENTIFUL AND LESS EXPENSIVE TRADE GOODS. I SUSPECT A SAILOR FROM THE ISLANDS MAY HAVE MADE THIS CLUB HE WOULD HAVE HAD ACCESS TO A SUPPLY OF VALUABLE NAILS AS WELL AS THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE EUROPEANS AND SHIPS HANDY MAN TO USE THE NAILS TO MAKE THE CLUB. IT WOULD NOT SURPRISE ME IF HE WORKED FOR NAILS AS PAYMENT. THE CARVING LOOKS LIKE THAT USED IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC IN FIJI AMONG OTHER PLACES. THE COWRIE SHELLS AND NAILS SHOWED WEALTH AND SERVED AS MONEY. A LOCAL RETURNING TO HIS VILLAGE WITH SUCH A CLUB WOULD IMPRESS AND SHOW HIS SUCCESS AND WEALTH. ISLANDERS OFTEN SIGNED ON AND SERVED ON ISLAND TRADING SHIPS AND WHALING SHIPS. I WOULD GUESS THE AGE OF THE CLUB TO BE SOMEWHERE FROM THE MID 1800'S TO THE EARLY 1900'S. CERTAINLY A INTERESTING AND UNUSUAL CLUB AND AS YOU SAY WITH LOTS GOING ON. THE TWO BANDS APPEAR TO HAVE IRON RINGS UNDER THEM AND THE NAILS BENT OVER THEM. THE OTHER APPEAR TO FORM KNOBS WITH NAILS BENT OVER EACH OTHER. LOTS OF GUESSING AND LOGICAL CONJECTURE BASED ON HISTORY AND FACTS BUT IN THE END NOT PROVENANCE , JUST A GOOD STORY.

1st February 2015, 04:17 PM	#18
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	One thing that's bugging me is that the carvings on the club look fairly crude, perhaps copies rather than the real thing. While I don't think it's a fake as such, I wouldn't be surprised if a sailor (or even some planter's teenage son) was copying stuff he saw to pass the time and make a cool weapon for himself. If I'd had the materials lying around, I would have made something that looked like this when I was, oh, 15 or so. F