Pre-contact Maori whalebone club

Ron Anderson · 15th September 2010, 03:13 AM

It is an interesting point.

Whale bone is of course a popular material for old New Zealand clubs too. And it has some symbolic significance there I think, though I'm sure they were more than symbolic - I believe they were actually used as clubs. But stone clubs, greenstone clubs certainly, are harder and more damaging, without question. Nonetheless, there is a high value placed on whalebone clubs.

Mostly, it's only the old clubs that are made of whale bone. For obvious reasons. Unless you find a dead whale on the beach these days, you ain't going to find whale bone. Whales are no longer hunted in most parts of the world.

fearn · 15th September 2010, 04:25 AM

I have been wondering about the efficacy of whalebone in a club. It appears that someone with a whalebone club would use a different set of targets than, say, someone using a jade mere. Meres got used on really hard targets, like the skull and hinge of the jaw.

I guess the advantage is that it's easier to make them, and if you get a whale, you get a lot of material in one spot.

Best,

F

Ron Anderson · 15th September 2010, 08:56 AM

Hi Fearn

2 things spring to mind: Yes, these are so much easier to make then greenstone. I've heard reports of maori taking years to carve a patu from greenstone.

Bearing this in mind, the alternative is wood. And whalebone probably compares quite well to most woods in terms of strength.

Also, I wonder if being so porous ensures the bone is less likely to break. I wonder if it provides a certain springiness or flexibility, and hence a certain structural strength. I suspect it might.

fearn · 15th September 2010, 03:52 PM

Unfortunately, due to CITES, I can't easily make a new whalebone club to test its properties.

Not that I'm objecting to CITES, mind you. But I put this in the category with rhino-hide and turtle-shell shields, something to contemplate, but not to replicate.

Still, I'm not sure that porous bone is quite the same as fibrous wood. I've been contemplating the way whales move, and I haven't come to any good conclusions about the stresses their ribs face. If anything, I would expect rib bone to be stronger through the flat than along the edge, simply because whales inhale and exhale fast, and the ribs would bear the most strain against the curving flat of the rib. However, I know just enough physiology to know that explaining whale bodies tends to turn biomechanicists into gibbering idiots. So that's my guess.

Best,

F

15th September 2010, 03:13 AM	#1
Ron Anderson Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 228	It is an interesting point. Whale bone is of course a popular material for old New Zealand clubs too. And it has some symbolic significance there I think, though I'm sure they were more than symbolic - I believe they were actually used as clubs. But stone clubs, greenstone clubs certainly, are harder and more damaging, without question. Nonetheless, there is a high value placed on whalebone clubs. Mostly, it's only the old clubs that are made of whale bone. For obvious reasons. Unless you find a dead whale on the beach these days, you ain't going to find whale bone. Whales are no longer hunted in most parts of the world.

15th September 2010, 04:25 AM	#2
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	I have been wondering about the efficacy of whalebone in a club. It appears that someone with a whalebone club would use a different set of targets than, say, someone using a jade mere. Meres got used on really hard targets, like the skull and hinge of the jaw. I guess the advantage is that it's easier to make them, and if you get a whale, you get a lot of material in one spot. Best, F

15th September 2010, 08:56 AM	#3
Ron Anderson Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 228	Hi Fearn 2 things spring to mind: Yes, these are so much easier to make then greenstone. I've heard reports of maori taking years to carve a patu from greenstone. Bearing this in mind, the alternative is wood. And whalebone probably compares quite well to most woods in terms of strength. Also, I wonder if being so porous ensures the bone is less likely to break. I wonder if it provides a certain springiness or flexibility, and hence a certain structural strength. I suspect it might.

15th September 2010, 03:52 PM	#4
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Unfortunately, due to CITES, I can't easily make a new whalebone club to test its properties. Not that I'm objecting to CITES, mind you. But I put this in the category with rhino-hide and turtle-shell shields, something to contemplate, but not to replicate. Still, I'm not sure that porous bone is quite the same as fibrous wood. I've been contemplating the way whales move, and I haven't come to any good conclusions about the stresses their ribs face. If anything, I would expect rib bone to be stronger through the flat than along the edge, simply because whales inhale and exhale fast, and the ribs would bear the most strain against the curving flat of the rib. However, I know just enough physiology to know that explaining whale bodies tends to turn biomechanicists into gibbering idiots. So that's my guess. Best, F