[fearn]

Hi Tim,

According to The Last Navigator, there were still people who knew pwang (or bwang), the Carolines martial art, back in the late 1970s, and the article is from 1982. Pwang was supposed to be one of their basic arts, along with fishing, farming, and building a house, so I wouldn't be surprised if a few families hasn't kept the art alive. There's not a lot of difference between a paddle club and a machete, after all.

Anyway, if you search for bwang, you'll find some references. Pwang also works.

As for the Trobriands, last I'd heard, they upgraded to machetes, fishing spears, and crowbars, instead of traditional clubs and spears. One of my grumps about Malinowski is that he talks a little about their weapons, but never studied them and didn't put any references in his index. Hmmph!

Best,

F