This is my latest acquisition. It is a heavy root ball club carved with a very nice weight forward curve. Interesting grip and decorative carved design forming a collar near the ball end. The lizard motif clearly has saw blade marks on the head. It does not have a deep or glossy patina and the wood appears to have been stained by some substance. That does not always mean recent manufacture . It does seem to have some age. You can see some letters and 04 in yellow paint. Is this a collection number? could 04 be 1904? There was still frontier conflict with Aborigines well into the 20th century. Not all old Australian Aborigine weapon are plain many display decorative carving and animal motifs. I find the depiction of the lizards hind legs interesting quite different to the fore legs?
Links
http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/hi...cts-collection
Frontier wars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_frontier_wars
One of the last conflict incidents.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coniston_massacre