Solomon Is mace club
 

This is the new addition to my collection of Solomon Island clubs. I show it with others. Like Fijian Ulas there seems little concrete understanding of there use. The work on some is quite lavish and I do not think you would throw them at an enemy. I am sure some are impact weapons. Others must be status objects as much as weapons, if not more so. There are all made with head smashing weight and form. Interesting the new one has a more practical grip and seems not to have been cover in a weave of any kind. Strangely being no more common than Ulas, they do not have the same cult following not commanding such inflated cost in the "market". This is most interesting as Fiji became a European outpost earlier and was subject to more European influence. This is a very interest link to a scholarly paper on fire arms and warfare in the Solomons. Mention is made to the sparsity of European contact in the Solomons as opposed to Fiji. Fiji being a source of European goods.

http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu...pdf?sequence=1

I am going to see a basket maker to enquire about redoing the weave on the damaged example. The example on the far left I suspect is from the New Hebrides but I have not found proof. I would like to get my hands on the version with rounded lumps rather than the flange form. So if you have a spare one you know who wants one :) :shrug:

A NICE GROUP OF CLUBS I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE WOOD USED ON YOUR NEW CLUB. ARE THEY ALL FROM RENNEL ISLAND IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS?

found one that was noted in the description as 'possibly rennel islands'

according to wiki, there are only 1830 residents on a subsistance level economy, i don't expect they get many tourists to buy new clubs & they likely don't have many older ones left. however, they do seem to have the occasional land disputes...

anyhow: 34.5 cm. long. looks like coconut/palm wood...the yellowed weaving makes me think this isn't new.

I was watching that one. It is quite a bit smaller than the examples I uploaded earlier. It does look like a good club with some age. Not a recent tourist piece.

My Solomon island club
 

HERE IS MINE,SAW THIS THREAD SO I THOUGHT I MUST SHOW MINE

nice inlays. how long is it? weight?

(mine was 34.5 cm & 376 grams)

nautilus shell inlay
length is 55 cms X 6 cms
weight[will get back to you]
cheers

Bandook that is a nice looking club. 55 cm x 6 cm seems odd size when I look at mine. My club of this type is 45 cm long not including the tassel with a head diameter of 15 cm and weighs 1.104 kg. You can get an idea of the others clubs of mine from these figures.

I was going to get the weaving redone on the one that shows weave damage. I found somebody who can do it but have not been able to match materials to my satisfaction.

A VERY ATTRACTIVE CLUB WITH LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL SHELL INLAY WORK. :cool:
IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THE CHANGES IN FORM AND DECORATION THAT HAS OCCURRED IN THESE SOLOMON ISLANDS CLUBS. FROM WHAT I HAVE OBSERVED OVER THE YEARS THE FIRST CHANGES TO THIS FORM WAS FROM KNOBS (USUALLY 4 BUT SOMETIMES MORE) TO MORE BLADE LIKE PROTRUSIONS ON THE HEAD OF THE CLUB. THE SHAFT AND GRIP WERE ROUND AND OFTEN COVERED WITH WOVEN FIBER DECORATIONS BUT NO SHELL INLAY WAS PRESENT. THE FIRST FLANGED ONE I SAW WAS CIRC. 1971 NO SHELL INLAY, IT WAS PROBABLY MADE IN THE 1960'S. THE FIRST TIME I SAW REFERENCE TO RENNEL ISLAND WAS ON EBAY IN THE LATE 1990'S I HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS EXAMPLES ON EBAY SINCE.
TODAY'S EXAMPLES HAVE LOTS OF FLANGES TO THE HEAD AND FLAT SIDES TO THE SHAFT WITH A SHORT LITTLE ROUND GRIP. THESE FLAT SPOTS ARE THERE TO FACILITATE THE SHELL INLAY WORK. MARKETING AND CEREMONIAL USE ARE WELL DEMONSTRATED HERE AS CEREMONIAL USE DOES NOT NEED TO BE A COMFORTABLE FUNCTIONAL WEAPON AND SHELL INLAY SELLS AND THE MORE THE BETTER. THE MARKETING DOES WORK ON ME AS I FIND THESE CLUBS AND INLAY VERY ATTRACTIVE. :D

Found this in the National Museum Australia. Have email to access picture and get more information. Interesting that shows the same condition as mine

Also this the head being the same form as one of mine. A long version with a head diameter of 3 inches. Said to be from Rennell Island. Not from the museum.

i like that long one!

whomever brought it back must have had a big suitcase ;)