Thoughts on Fiji/Fijian Spear?

LJ · 19th May 2014, 10:42 PM

Fiji, Samoa and Tongan weapons are sometimes hard to pin down to a particular place, and there was some movement of craftsmen between the islands even in Cook's time [he met Fijian people in Tonga]. I've seen 18th century Tongan examples with similar carved teeth to your spear, but as you say Clunie also shows examples from Fiji.

What clinches it for me as being an "old" spear is the plaited coconut-fibre sennit cord. This type of flat cord was going out of use in the Central Pacific by the mid 1800s, although I can't say for certain when it fell out of use in Fiji/Tonga/Samoa.

The question is how best to preserve this cord. It should still be pretty robust, it seems to me that it just needs to be tightened a little and then held in place. Anybody have any suggestions ?

19th May 2014, 10:42 PM	#4
LJ Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 93	Fiji, Samoa and Tongan weapons are sometimes hard to pin down to a particular place, and there was some movement of craftsmen between the islands even in Cook's time [he met Fijian people in Tonga]. I've seen 18th century Tongan examples with similar carved teeth to your spear, but as you say Clunie also shows examples from Fiji. What clinches it for me as being an "old" spear is the plaited coconut-fibre sennit cord. This type of flat cord was going out of use in the Central Pacific by the mid 1800s, although I can't say for certain when it fell out of use in Fiji/Tonga/Samoa. The question is how best to preserve this cord. It should still be pretty robust, it seems to me that it just needs to be tightened a little and then held in place. Anybody have any suggestions ?