War club

I just got this club. Anyone here know anything about it or where it's from?

It's a Marquesan war club

I think this might be the source reference for that carving:

Buzzy Out!

Marquesan war club 'u'u looks like tourist type that has had about a foot of handle cut off ...maybe to fit wherever it was hanging up at.

Here's a nice graphic showing all the places for Tiki faces on the standard Marquesan club:

They made lots of these back in the day in those islands:

wow, awesome find

what you have there is like a sawed off shotgun type of deal...
although half a loaf is better than none !

Very cool. I love the U'u. Although, yours is smaller than the usual one, wich were supposed to be as long as right under the shoulder of the warrior.
Great find. Where did you find it ?

Thanks for the info everyone. Too bad it was cut off or I wonder if they carved it that size for tourists so it would be easier to sell. How would you get a 5 foot club home?

Here are some pics of a particularly nice one on e-Bay right now. Item number:180433809628

On 2009-11-18 13:45, Trader Tom wrote:
Here are some pics of a particularly nice one on e-Bay right now. Item number:180433809628

WOW, What a great piece. Real work of art.

Just how do you tell if a piece is,
1- a real thing,
2- 'museum' piece, or
3- a tourist piece?

these 2 have stickers on the back that say
"AL traded with a native
on a south pacific island
in world war #2
for this"

Wow Trader Tom...that is an exceptional piece .Thanks for sharing.

I figured I should archive those pics since it was such a nice one. Some day I'd like to have one too, although I would be happy with a nice reproduction since the British museum only estimates that 200 originals survive today.

I first came across the 'u'u when reading about Basement Kahuna doing a version on the following thread:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=18481&forum=7&start=0&hilite=basement%20kahuna%20club

Here's a little more info on these clubs below. I believe the Mouina engraving mentioned is the one that Hottiki posted above.

"The form of these clubs was recorded during Captain Cook's second voyage (1772-5) and they are shown in nineteenth-century engravings such as the portrait of Mouina, chief warrior of the Tayehs by Captain David Porter of the US Navy ship Essex. The Essex arrived in the Marquesas Islands in 1813 where Porter recorded clashing with Mouina after the warrior refused to supply him with pork and fruit. His engraving shows an impressive man, his body completely tattooed, holding a tall, thin club very like this one.

The club is predominantly made out of ironwood, a very tough and heavy wood known as toa, which is also the word for warrior. It has a number of faces carved into either side of it at the top, which were thought to provide its owner with extra protection. It has a handle bound with coir and human hair. Its rich, dark patina is thought to have been achieved by soaking the club in taro swamps and polishing it with coconut oil.

Many examples of this kind of club were collected in the first half of the nineteenth century and around 200 are thought to have survived."

Dr S. Hooper, Pacific Encounters: Art and Di (London, The British Museum Press, 2006)

[ Edited by: Trader Tom 2009-11-20 13:38 ]

Here's another fun pic I ran across:

One last post on the clubs...

In answer to Tiki David's question about authenticity, you can never be totally sure unless you have the provenance (history of a piece). The e-Bay one I posted above is certainly a nice reproduction and will probably go for hundred of dollars. The one below, however, is one of the rare 200 originals still floating around and worth many thousands of dollars.

Origin: Polynesia, Marquesas Islands (Provenance: Ex. Carlo Monzino Collection. Sotheby's New York lot 29 Nov. 2004. Ex. Joel Cooner, Dallas Texas)

Period/Date: Second half of the 19th century

Materials: Hardwood

Description: This is an exemplary example of a transitional U'U club. In 2004 it sold for $11,400 against an estimate of $5000-$7000. Finely incised clubs like this were often carried by Marquesan chiefs as an insignia of rank and status. It is in excellent condition with some minor loss and hairline age cracks. Presented on a custom acrylic display stand. Refer to the Sotheby's description on page 43.

Dimensions: Length 38.5" (95.5 cm), Width 5.5" (14 cm)

Ok, that was supposed to be a PM....

OOps...

[ Edited by: Formikahini 2010-12-20 20:46 ]