THE SIDE SPIKES AND SMALL BLADES ON THE SIDES OF THE TRUK CLUBS ARE NOT FOR DECORATION BUT TO PREVENT THEM FROM BEING GRABBED WITHOUT DAMMAGE TO THE HANDS. POLYNESIAN MARTIAL ART DOES HAVE A LOT OF GRABBING, TRIPPING AND FANCY FOOT WORK SO HAVING A FREE HAND MAY HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED BEST BY MOST. BUT I STILL WONDER IF A FEW INDIVIDUALS MIGHT HAVE DEVELOPED A TWO WEAPON SYSTEM USING SHALLER CLUBS. MANY ORIENTAL MARTIAL ARTS HAVE SUCH SYSTEMS AND IT IS LIKELY TO HAVE HAPPENED IN THE ISLAND TRIBES UNLESS THERE WAS A TAPU (TABOO) AGAINST
IT.
LONG WEAPONS WERE USED ON WAR CANOES AS MOST FIGHTING WAS DONE FROM CANOE TO CANOE. BOARDING THE OTHER CANOE AS IN PIRATE ATTACKS WAS NOT TOO LIKELY GIVEN THE SIZE AND STABILITY OF WAR CANOES. THE BIG VOYAGING CANOES WOULD HAVE BEEN LARGE AND STABLE ENOUGH BUT WERE NOT REALLY WAR CANOES. MOST OF WHICH WERE LONG AND NARROW AND DESIGNED FOR SPEED. SPEARS AND ARROWS WOULD HAVE BEEN BEST AND PERHAPS THE PADDLES OR LONG CLUBS WERE USED WHEN THEY WERE CLOSE ENOUGH. WHEN ENOUGH WARRIORS IN A CANOE WERE ELIMINATED PERHAPS THEY BOARDED THEN WITH SHORTER WEAPONS?. THE PROBLEM BOARDING A WAR CANOE IS THE ONES IN IT HAVE GOOD FOOTING AND IF YOU DON'T AND CAN'T GET SOLID FOOTING YOU ARE AT A GREAT DISADVANTAGE. PIC'S SOLOMON ISLAND WAR CANOES, AND ONE PICTURE OF A MAORI WAR CANOE MODEL.