Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

kronckew · 3rd August 2014, 04:58 PM

Samoa Club from ebay UK. hopefully with me next week.
My belated birthday gift to myself.

Blurb from vendor:

age: post-1940

length 42 inches

This club is a rare and very finely carved, finished and detailed traditional Samoan Toothed War Club called a Nifo Oti (in Samoan language), it is also known as the Teeth of Death. Today this club is used in the Tausala Samoa and Taupou Samoa dances for the official entertainment to consolidate the pride in the Samoan culture. This is the most traditional and documented of the Samoan War Clubs. It measures 42" inches in length. This particular item has been made by a most skillful, traditional woodcarver from the village of Uafato, in the remote Fagaloa Bay Area of Upolu Island in Western Samoa. This area of Samoa consists of eight villages, and it is here that all the hereditary traditional woodcarving families have lived for centuries. It was these families who always carved for the Samoan Royal families. This is a very finely made example, it is not an old example and probably dates from the mid to late 20th Century.

vendor did not supply an overall photo, so i merged the ones he did provide and tarted it up a bit: better ones to follow after arrival.

i note the pommel end has an attachment for a lanyard, which is apparently a bit uncommon but not unusual.

3rd August 2014, 04:58 PM	#1
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,150	Samoa Clubs Samoa Club from ebay UK. hopefully with me next week. My belated birthday gift to myself. Blurb from vendor: age: post-1940 length 42 inches This club is a rare and very finely carved, finished and detailed traditional Samoan Toothed War Club called a Nifo Oti (in Samoan language), it is also known as the Teeth of Death. Today this club is used in the Tausala Samoa and Taupou Samoa dances for the official entertainment to consolidate the pride in the Samoan culture. This is the most traditional and documented of the Samoan War Clubs. It measures 42" inches in length. This particular item has been made by a most skillful, traditional woodcarver from the village of Uafato, in the remote Fagaloa Bay Area of Upolu Island in Western Samoa. This area of Samoa consists of eight villages, and it is here that all the hereditary traditional woodcarving families have lived for centuries. It was these families who always carved for the Samoan Royal families. This is a very finely made example, it is not an old example and probably dates from the mid to late 20th Century. vendor did not supply an overall photo, so i merged the ones he did provide and tarted it up a bit: better ones to follow after arrival. i note the pommel end has an attachment for a lanyard, which is apparently a bit uncommon but not unusual. Attached Images Last edited by kronckew; 3rd August 2014 at 05:13 PM.