Club
A popular lozenge-shaped club with ornate high status decoration. Used for combat, dispatching pigs, competition fights, ceremonial events and dances. Surface design created through use of stone, bone, shark’s teeth or even a European iron nail.
Apa’apai clubs have a smoothly tapering, four-sided sectional shape and a square or concave end mimicking the shape of a coconut leaf midrib. The leaf midribs were cut by men of the cheifly class and used to maintain social order or for recreational club fencing. The club form is therefore chiefly and a symbol of legitimate authority.
Apa’apai clubs have a smoothly tapering, four-sided sectional shape and a square or concave end mimicking the shape of a coconut leaf midrib. The leaf midribs were cut by men of the cheifly class and used to maintain social order or for recreational club fencing. The club form is therefore chiefly and a symbol of legitimate authority.
Object Summary
- Accession Loan No.
- E1208
- Category
- Ethnography
- Collection Class
- Arms and armour
- Collection Area Region
- POLYN
- Material
- wood (Casuarina equisetiafolia)
- Common Name
- club
- Simple Name
- club
- Production County
- Ha’apai
- Production Country
- Tonga
- Production Year Low
- 1700
- Production Year High
- 1778
