I WILL COVER MODERN CLUBS IN THIS POST THERE WAS QUITE A VARIETY OF THESE CLUBS COMING OUT OF WESTERN SAMOA TO BE FOUND ON EBAY. THERE ARE NOT AS MANY ON EBAY FOR NOW BUT I HOPE THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE OLD CARVERS HAVE PASSED OR JUST STOPPED CARVING DUE TO LACK OF DEMAND. THESE CLUBS SOMETIMES FOLLOW OLD FORMS AND DESIGNS AND SOMETIMES INCORPORATE NEW DESIGNS OR MODIFICATIONS. SOME CROSS OVER INTO PURE FANTASY AND SOME ARE MADE IN SMALLER THAN ORIGINAL SIZE FOR TOURIST TRANSPORT AND SOME ARE MADE IN LARGER THAN ORIGINAL. SOME CLUBS ARE STAINED DARK AND THEN CARVED TO SHOW THE LIGHTER WOOD SOME ARE JUST CARVED WITH DESIGNS INTO THE WOOD AND LEFT NATURAL. TAPA DESIGNS ARE USED BOTH MODERN AND OLDER TRADITIONAL. SOME CLUBS CROSS OVER INTO FIJI AND TONGAN FORMS OTHERS ARE STRICTLY SAMOAN. TODAYS CLUBS DO NOT FEATURE THE OLD TRADITIONAL WHITE LIME INFILL IN THE CARVINGS. IN A 100 YEARS OR SO NO DOUBT THESE WILL BE COLLACTABLE ESPECIALLY IF CARVING THEM COMES TO AN END. IN THE MEANTIME THEY ARE WELL DONE PICES OF ART AND ARE AFFORDABLE IF ONE WANTS A REPLICA OF A RARE OR EXPENSIVE FORM OF CLUB OR A NICE WALL HANGER.
PICTURES 1,2 & 3. THESE THREE CLUBS ARE SAID TO COME FROM WESTERN SAMOA FROM THE VILLAGE OF UAFATO IN THE REMOTE FAGALOA BAY AREA OF UPOLU ISLAND. THEY FURTHER STATE THAT THERE ARE 8 VILLAGES THERE WHERE THE TRADITIONAL WOOD CARVINGS ARE STILL DONE. THESE FAMILIES HAVE BEEN CARVING CLUBS FOR MANY GENERATIONS FOR CENTURIES. UNFORTUNATELY NEVER HAVING VISITED I CAN ONLY REPEAT WHAT WAS WRITTEN BY THE SELLER. THIS SELLER DID HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF CLUBS FOR QUITE A WHILE ON EBAY.
4. A SHORT HAND CLUB SAID TO BE COMING FROM APIA THE CAPTAL OF WESTERN SAMOA.
5. A FANTASY 36 INCH LONG FIJI CANNIBAL FORK CLUB WITH A TWISTED SPIRAL HANDLE.
6. A 37 INCH, TALAVALU FORM OF CLUB
7, 8 & 9. VARIOUS AX FORMS BASED MOSTLY ON FANTASY DESIGNS THE LONGER SINGLE BLADED FORM BEING CLOSEST TO THE ACTUAL FORMS FOUND.
10. ANOTHER TRADITIONAL CLUB FORM WITH A FANTASY SPLIT TIP.
11 & 12 VARIOUS SHORT ITEMS FOR TOURISTS.