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Old 8th July 2013, 03:30 PM   #70
KuKulzA28
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Join Date: Oct 2008
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Looks beautiful. I wonder how often they are lacquered... the Kayapo clubs you see today (used in protests moreso than fights now) come in a variety of finishes, roughly hewn out or finely sanded down, some look newly made and some look older.

For anyone who's interest (or just "for the record") here's an example of Yanomami clubs from a museum in Venezuela. Seems to me, the Yanomami clubs are more roughly made than Shipibo, Kayapo, or many Guiana clubs... they're either sword-like 5-6' clubs made of palmwood, or 6'+ pool cue style staves often used in duels. I suspect the palmwood ones are more often used in war and for killing as the semi-sharp edges and material make killing easier... where-as the poles used in village duels (where opponents exchange blows on the head) is not usually lethal, but leaves nasty scars and concussions. Having said that, from my reading of Chagnon's works, it seems like in raids the Yanomami prefer to use their bows and arrows... but occasionally will use axes, machetes, and clubs in close - however a raid is considered a failure if even one of the raiders is killed by the enemy village...
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