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Old 8th August 2014, 12:17 AM   #6
VANDOO
(deceased)
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: OKLAHOMA, USA
Posts: 3,138
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THESE SMALL CLUBS ARE THE ONES MOST OFTEN SEEN AND MANY WERE BROUGHT BACK BY SERVICEMAN IN WW2. THEY ARE MOST CLOSELY RELATED TO A FORM OF PADDLE CLUB BUT MOST ARE SMALLER LIGHTER FORMS 2 FOOT OR LESS. THEY ARE MORE OF A CLOSE IN TYPE WEAPON AND CAN BE USED TO CLUB BUT ALSO MORE EFFECTIVELY FOR THRUSTING. MANY ARE NOT CARVED, SOME HAVE A SPIKED END ON THE HANDLE BUT MOST DO NOT. THE KITE OR DIAMOND SHAPED HEAD IS THE MOST COMMON BUT NOT THE ONLY FORM.
THE DIFFICULTY OF IDENTIFYING WHERE THEY COME FROM ARISES AS THE FORM IS LIKELY WIDESPREAD THRU-OUT THE SOUTH PACIFIC AND THE TROOPS WERE IN MANY DIFFERENT GROUPS DURING WW2. MOST ARE ATTRIBUTED TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS BUT WITHOUT THE MOTHER OF PEARL INLAY IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO SAY FOR SURE. THE HOUNDSTOOTH DESIGN IS WIDESPREAD TOO, FIJI USUALLY LIKES THE LARGER HEAD CRUSHER AND BONE BREAKER FORM OF CLUB AS WELL AS SMALLER.THROWING CLUBS. I WOULD ELIMINATE FIJI AND TONGA AS THE SOURCE OF THESE CLUBS EVEN THOUGH THERE MAY BE DESIGN INFLUENCES FROM THESE AREAS. TWO NICE EXAMPLES OF THE FORM AND THE CARVING ON THE DARK ONE IS NICELY DONE. SO WW2 OR OLDER SOLOMON ISLANDS IS A GOOD GUESS UNTIL SOMETHING MORE SPECIFIC IS KNOWN.
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