MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 4: SAMOA

[VANDOO]

THE PADDLE SHAPED CLUBS ( FOE, EQUALS PADDLE ) IN SAMOAN ARE ANOTHER FORM WITH VERY SIMULAR OR THE SAME FORM CLUBS FOUND IN TONGA AND FIJI AS WELL AS SAMOA. THERE ARE VARIATIONS IN THE FORM THOSE WITH A OVATE SHAPE AND POINTED ARE REFERED TO AS (AMUAMU ).
I THINK PICTURES 1 THRU 5 ARE OF THE AMUAMU FORM. CLUB #1 IS 3 FEET LONG.
#6. WALLACE ISLANDERS, SAMOA
# 7 & 8. PLATES OF THE VARIOUS PADDLE FORMS SOME MAY BE SAMOAN OR TONGAN.

[KraVseR]

6 picture shows a Samoan warriors?

[VANDOO]

I HAD THEM IN WITH SAMOA AS I HAVE SEEN WALLIS IS. CLUBS REFERED TO AS SAMOAN. BUT I DIDN'T RESEARCH FURTHER AND IT TURNS OUT THE WALLIS ISLANDS ARE NOT SAMOAN BUT LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AREA BORDERING SAMOA, TONGA, FIJI, ECT. TOO LATE TO EDIT SO I WILL HAVE TO LEAVE THE PICTURE THERE.
THE CLUBS WOULD FIT IN THE PADDLE CATEGORY THIS FORM IS WIDELY DISTRIBUTED AND THERE ARE A LOT OF SMALLER HAND CLUBS IN THIS FORM AS WELL AS THE LONGER ONES.
SO I MIGHT AS WELL COVER WALLIS ISLANDS HERE. THE MAIN 3 ISLANDS ARE UVE'A MOST POPULATED, FUTUNA AND ALOFI. ALOFI IS UNPOPULATED BECAUSE REPORTEDLY THE CANNIBAL RESIDENTS OF FUTUNA ISLAND ATE THEM ALL IN ONE RAID IN THE 19 TH. CENTURY. I WONDER IF THEY SMOKED WEED AND GOT THE MUNCHIES? THATS A SCARY THOUGHT A TRIBE OF CANNIBALS WITH THE MUNCHIES
#1 EXAMPLE OF WALLIS ISLAND CLUB, 108.5 CM. LONG
PADDLE CLUBS USUALLY RANGE IN SIZE FROM 40 TO 47 INCHES.

[VANDOO]

THE REFRENCE I AM USING FOR SAMOA REFERS TO POLE CLUBS AS BILLET CLUBS AND SEPARATES THEM INTO TWO TYPES 1. ROUND BILLET CLUBS AS WE FOUND IN FIJI THEY ARE REFERED TO BY THE TONGAN NAME IN SAMOA ( POVAI)
2. FOUR SIDED BILLET CLUBS USUALLY IN SAMOA THE SIDES ARE NOT EQUAL TWO ARE NOT AS THICK AS THE OTHERS, SOME BEING CLOSER TO SQUARE THAN OTHERS. THIS FORM IS FOUND IN TONGA AND FIJI AS WELL. PERHAPS BOTH FORMS ARE REFERED TO AS POVAI IN SAMOA?
THE WOOD PREFERRED FOR MAKING CLUBS IN SAMOA WAS CALLED PAU BUT IRONWOOD WAS ALSO USED.
THE TWO FORMS OF BILLET CLUBS USUALLY FORMED A BLUNT END THE SQUARE FORMS OFTEN HAD A LUG AT THE PROXIMAL END.
PIC. #1 & 2 SQUARE FORM OF BILLET CLUB ,TONGA, FIJI AND SAMOA?
PIC. #3 & 4 CLOSE TO PALM STALK FORM BUT MAY FALL INTO BILLET FORM? 53 CM.LONG.
PIC. # 5 VARIOUS SAMOAN CLUBS THE FIRST TWO ON THE LEFT ARE POVAI.
PIC. #6 POVAI WITH HOLE AND LANYARD.

[Billman]

Hi, not my area of expertise - but one that I wander to occasionally as some of the Oceanic war clubs appear to be shaped like large wooden billhooks...

My query is did this shape exist before European explorers visited and settled the islands, or were they an attempt to copy an iron and steel tool they had seen in the hands of the 'white man'?????

[VANDOO]

THE FIRST PICTURE LOOKS TO BE A WOODEN COPY OF A MACHETE AND WAS NOT AROUND BEFORE CONTACT. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME SIMULAR FORM OF WOODEN TOOL USED AS THE BLADE SHAPE SERVES WELL FOR VARIOUS CHORES.?
ACCORDING TO WHAT I HAVE READ THE MAORI CLUBS LIKE YOUR PICTURE #3 WAS IN USE BEFORE CONTACT WITH EUROPEANS. IT WAS ONE OF 3 BASIC FORMS OF SHORT CLUBS AND WAS CALLED WAHIKA.
THE 2ND PICTURE IS OF A SAMOAN NIFO OTI THERE WAS A CLUB FORM BEFORE CONTACT BUT THE EXAMPLE YOU SHOW, BECAUSE OF ITS SHAPE IS LONG AFTER CONTACT. ACCORDING TO WHAT I HAVE READ THE STEEL FORERUNNERS OF THIS FORM IS THE BLUBBER KNIVES USED BY WHALERS. IT HAD A BLADE MUCH LIKE YOU SEE HERE AND A HOOK USED TO DRAG THE CHUNKS OF BLUBBER AFTER THEY WERE CUT. BLUBBER IS TOO SLIPPERY AND GREASY TO MOVE BY HAND OR WITH TONGS SO HOOKS AND HOLES WITH TOGGLES WERE USED.
THE SAMOANS LIKED SHARP STEEL AS A WEAPON AND A LARGE STEEL BLADE WAS MUCH MORE FORMIDIBLE THAN WOODEN CLUBS. THE BLADE FORM MAY HAVE BEEN A REGULAR WHALEING TOOL OR COULD HAVE BEEN MODEFIED TO FASHON IT WITH A HOOK LIKE THE NIFO OTI CLUB AS THE NATIVES PREFERRED? TRADE WAS ESTABLISHED AND WHALERS BROUGHT EXTRA BLADES TO TRADE IN SAMOA FOR PROVISIONS AND FAVORS. THEY WERE USED FOR WORK AS WELL AS WAR AND CEREMONIE.
THE FORM LATER WAS USED FOR THE KNIFE DANCE AND STILL LATER THE FIRE KNIFE DANCE. THE WOODEN ONES LIKE YOUR EXAMPLE WERE MOSTLY FOR TOURISTS OR USED FOR CEREMONIES. SOME OLDER WOODEN ONES MAY HAVE BEEN USED IN BATTLE BY THOSE WHO COULD NOT AFFORD A STEEL ONE.
UNFORTUNATELY I CAN'T FIND A PICTURE OF THIS COMBINATION KNIFE AND HOOKED WHALEING TOOL. I FIND LONG KNIVES AND SPADES AND HOOKS ON POLES BUT NOTHING LOOKING LIKE THE SAMOAN KNIFE. BUT SOMEONE WROTE IT DOWN SO IT MUST BE TRUE
I FOUND THIS PICTURE OF WHALEING TOOLS.

[VANDOO]

STRANGELY THE ROOTSTOCK CLUB DID NOT FIND ITS WAY TO SAMOA ALTHOUGH THE FORM WAS USED A LOT IN FIJI AND SOME IN TONGA.
THE (FA'AAUFALA) CLUB WAS PATTERNED AFTER THE PANDANUS FRUIT AND HAS THE SPIKES AND KNOBS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS THE MACE. THESE CLUBS ARE USUALLY 30 INCHES OR LESS.
1. SAMOAN MACE CLUB
2 & 3 RECENT SAMOAN MACE CLUB
4 & 5. SAMOAN MACE FORM 1930'S LIKELY NOT A MACE BUT THE TOP OF A CEREMONIAL STAFF USUALLY 2 SEEN FLANKING THE SEAT OF ROYALTY DURING CEREMONIES 29 INCHES LONG , APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN SAWED OFF FROM A LONGER POLE.