MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 3: FIJI

VANDOO · 26th August 2013, 07:30 PM

THE NEXT FORM OF SPURRED CLUB IS THE GATA WHICH IS THE NAME OF THE PACIFIC PYTHON /BOA SNAKE. CLUNIE SIMPLIFYS THIS TO CALL THEM SNAKE CLUBS AS THE CLUB IS LIKE THE STRIKE OF A SNAKE (QUICK AND DEADLY). THE SPUR IS SHARPER AND HAS EDGES RATHER THAN A ROUNDED STRIKING SURFACE. THE CLUB EDGES COULD BREAK BONES AND THE SPUR COULD PENETRATE THE BODY OR SKULL OF THE FOE.
MOST GATA HAVE A CURVE TOWARD THE HEAD AS DOES THE KIAKAVO FORM BUT THERE IS A STRAIGHT FORM OF GATA CALLED TUDONU.
THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF VARIATION IN THIS FORM WHICH I WILL NOT GET INTO HERE TAKE A LOOK AT CLUNNIES BOOK FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
THE FIRST 3 PICTURES ARE OF A CURVED GATA AND A STRAIGHT (TUDONU) CLUB. THE STRAIGHT CLUB WAS COLLECTED IN THE 1930'S AND IS 41.5 INCHES LONG. THE CURVED CLUB IS FROM THE 1960'S AND IS AN ART PIECE THE SHAFT TAPERS AND IS NOT ROUND AS IS TRADITIONAL BUT IT FOLLOWS FORM AND DECORATION WELL EXCEPT FOR THOSE TWO THINGS. THE OTHER 3 CLUBS SHOW SOME VARIATIONS ON FORM AND CARVING ONE EVEN HAVING INLAYED DESIGNS. THESE 3 SHOW TONGAN INFLUENCE ON THE BUTT ENDS AND CARVING STYLE AND WERE CARVED FROM THE 1950'S TO 1960'S. SIZE RANGE IS 41.5 TO 39.5 INCHES.
THREE PICTURES SHOWING FIJI WARRIORS WITH THE CLUB IN ONE OF ITS STRIKING POSITIONS.

VANDOO · 27th August 2013, 01:23 AM

A FEW MORE EXAMPLES OF THE GATA FORM OF CLUB. THE FIRST PICTURE IS OF THE CURRENT TOURIST MODEL COMPLETE WITH TAPA CLOTH AND SCRATCHED IN DESIGNS. THE SECOND EXAMPLE SHOWS A GOOD OLD FIJI CLUB REFERED TO AS GATA WAKA, THE WIDE CHEEKS OF THE CLUB WERE POUNDED WITH STONES TO SHAPE THE TREE BEFORE IT WAS CUT. THERE ARE A FEW PICTURES OF EXAMPLES OF THIS SORT OF CLUB WITH DIFFERENT RESULTS IN THE ROUGH FINISH OF THE CLUB. THE CLUBS WITH LOTS OF CARVEING SHOW TONGAN INFLUENCE AS USUAL.

VANDOO · 27th August 2013, 03:53 AM

MORE EXAMPLES OF GATA FORM CLUBS. NOTE TWO PICTURES HAVE CLUBS WITH HOLES THRU THE HEAD. THESE ARE CALLED TUDONU BECAUSE OF THE HOLES IN THE BLADE, THESE HOLES WOULD ORIGINALLY HAVE BEEN STRUNG WITH WIRY BLACK WAIOA CREEPERS THREADED WITH MULTI-COLORED TRADE BEADS. THE FORTH PICTURE MAY SHOW A FORM REFERED TO AS A WAKA KIAKAVO THIS WOULD BE DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF THE SMALL RIDGE AT THE CROTCH OF THE SPUR.

VANDOO · 27th August 2013, 04:29 AM

THESE ARE THE LAST OF THE GATA FORM THE NEXT FORM IS THE SALI WHICH HAS EVEN MORE SIMULARITY TO THE GATA FORM THAN THE KIAKAVO TO EITHER OF THE OTHER TWO. THERE ARE MORE SUB-CATEGORYS AMONG THE MAIN 3 TYPES OF SPURRED CLUBS BUT I HAVE NOT TRYED TO BREAK THEM DOWN COMPLETELY HERE. HOPEFULLY I HAVE NOT MIXED THEM UP ALREADY.

THREE PICTURES TOWARD THE END ARE OF ONE EXAMPLE OF A VERY GOOD TONGAN CARVED GATA CLUB.

VANDOO · 3rd September 2013, 10:15 PM

THE SALI FORM OF CLUB IS SIMULAR TO THE GATA FORM BUT HAS WIDER CHEEKS AND THE CURVE CONTINUES FARTHER DOWN THE LEGNTH OF THE CLUB SHAFT. I FIND THIS ESTHETICALY PLEASING IN THE WELL DONE FORMS. NOT ALL SALI ARE THIS GRACEFUL AND THERE ARE VARIATIONS REFERRED TO BY THI NAME SALI, CALI OR TEBETEBE . THESE CLUBS ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN NAMED AFTER THE CLAWED SALI FLOWER ONE OF THE BANNANA LIKE PLANTS. CLUNIE STATES " THEIR LONGER BROADER CHEEKS AND THEIR MORE HIGHLY DEVELOPED CREST OR SPUR DISTINGUISH THEM FROM GATA CLUBS". THEY WERE FIGHTING CLUBS BUT SAID TO BE USED IN DANCING OFTEN HELD BY THE SPUR DURING THE DANCE.
THE FIRST EXAMPLE IS THE CLASSIC FORM THE OTHERS ARE IDENTIFIED AS SALI BUT IF SO ARE LESS CLASIC IN FORM. THE WARRIOR IN THE PICTURE HAS A SALI AND THERE IS A PICTURE OF ONE IN THE PICTURE OF FIJI CLUBS.
BELOW THAT ARE PICTURES OF 3 EXAMPLES OF A UNUSUAL FORM NOW ON THE MARKET SOMETIMES REFERED TO AS A SALI ONE EXAMPLE IS INLAYED WITH SHELL IT IS 41 IN. X 9 IN.. THIS CLUB DOSEN'T APPEAR IN PARTINGTONS OR IN CLUNIES BOOK. EXCEPT THERE IS A PICTURE ON PLATE 10 IN CLUNIES BOOK BY REV. THOMAS WILLIAMS WITH A DRAWING DESCRIBED AS A GATA WITH A UNUSUAL SNAIL LIKE HEAD. THIS IS THE ONLY BASIS FOR THIS FORM OF CLUB I HAVE FOUND. I DID NOT FIND INFORMATION ON THE REV.WILLIAMS SO DATE AND TIME AS WELL AS THE ACCURACY OF THE DRAWINGS ARE UNKNOWN.
THE LAST TWO ARE OF A UNUSUAL FORM SOLD TO ME AS A SALI BUT IT IS ONLY 24 X 7.5 INCHES I CONSIDER IT A GATA PERHAPS FOR DANCE BUT IT DOES SHOW PATINA AND WEAR AND WOULD BE AN EFFECTIVE WEAPON.

VANDOO · 4th September 2013, 06:40 AM

HERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES OF SPURED FORMS BUT NOT BASED ON ANY OLD EXAMPLES I KNOW OF. I WOULD CLASSIFY THESE AS FANTASY CLUBS AND AS ART ONLY SO NOT REALLY ETHINOGRAPHIC EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE MADE IN OCEANA POSSIBLY FIJI BUT NEVER SERVED ANY FUNCTION IN THE SOCIETY. ONE SEEMS TO INCORPORATE THE SAMOAN TEETH AS WELL AS TONGAN CARVING INTO THE FIJI FORM. THE OTHER HAS TONGAN AND FIJI ELEMENTS AND THOUGH A FANTASY CLUB SHOWS A SPLIT FORM OF HEAD. THERE IS A DRAWING IN CLUNIES BOOK OF A SPLIT FORM OF CLUB THOUGH IT IS SPLIT IN A DIFFERENT MANNER THAN THIS ONE SO THERE IS PRECIDENT FOR THAT ASPECT AS WELL AS THE GENERAL SHAPE OVERALL. FANTASY THEY MAY BE BUT THEY WOULD SURELY LEAVE A MARK IF USED

VANDOO · 5th September 2013, 05:21 AM

1. THIS IS AN UNUSUAL FORM 28 INCHES LONG FIRST 3 PICTURES. AN EXAMPLE IS IN CLUNIES PLATE 12 ITEM G, REFERRED TO AS " VUNIKAU I DO NOT KNOW THE SPECIFIC NAME OF THE VUNIKAU OR " TREE ROOT" CLUB. THERE IS A EXAMPLE IN THE FIJI MUSEUM COLLECTION BUT EVIDENTLY NOT MUCH INFORMATION ON IT OTHER THAN THE QUOTE ABOVE AND THE DRAWING.

2. THIS IS ANOTHER SELDOM SEEN FORM THE CLOSEST TO IT IN CLUNIES BOOK IS PLATE 3 DRAWING B.IDENTIFIED AS TAVO, A RARE TYPE OF GATA TYPE WITH NO SPUR. THIS EXAMPLE IS 93 CM. LONG WITH NO CARVED DECORATION. IT FUNCTIONS IN BATTLE LIKE A GATA OR SALI BUT HAS NO SPIKE.

3.THIS IS A SAWED OFF FIJI CLUB OF A FORM SEEN ON PLATE 9 FIG.E. SAID TO BE A FORM INTRODUCED FROM TONGA.

26th August 2013, 07:30 PM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	THE NEXT FORM OF SPURRED CLUB IS THE GATA WHICH IS THE NAME OF THE PACIFIC PYTHON /BOA SNAKE. CLUNIE SIMPLIFYS THIS TO CALL THEM SNAKE CLUBS AS THE CLUB IS LIKE THE STRIKE OF A SNAKE (QUICK AND DEADLY). THE SPUR IS SHARPER AND HAS EDGES RATHER THAN A ROUNDED STRIKING SURFACE. THE CLUB EDGES COULD BREAK BONES AND THE SPUR COULD PENETRATE THE BODY OR SKULL OF THE FOE. MOST GATA HAVE A CURVE TOWARD THE HEAD AS DOES THE KIAKAVO FORM BUT THERE IS A STRAIGHT FORM OF GATA CALLED TUDONU. THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF VARIATION IN THIS FORM WHICH I WILL NOT GET INTO HERE TAKE A LOOK AT CLUNNIES BOOK FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. THE FIRST 3 PICTURES ARE OF A CURVED GATA AND A STRAIGHT (TUDONU) CLUB. THE STRAIGHT CLUB WAS COLLECTED IN THE 1930'S AND IS 41.5 INCHES LONG. THE CURVED CLUB IS FROM THE 1960'S AND IS AN ART PIECE THE SHAFT TAPERS AND IS NOT ROUND AS IS TRADITIONAL BUT IT FOLLOWS FORM AND DECORATION WELL EXCEPT FOR THOSE TWO THINGS. THE OTHER 3 CLUBS SHOW SOME VARIATIONS ON FORM AND CARVING ONE EVEN HAVING INLAYED DESIGNS. THESE 3 SHOW TONGAN INFLUENCE ON THE BUTT ENDS AND CARVING STYLE AND WERE CARVED FROM THE 1950'S TO 1960'S. SIZE RANGE IS 41.5 TO 39.5 INCHES. THREE PICTURES SHOWING FIJI WARRIORS WITH THE CLUB IN ONE OF ITS STRIKING POSITIONS. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 27th August 2013 at 01:16 AM.

27th August 2013, 01:23 AM	#2
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	A FEW MORE EXAMPLES OF THE GATA FORM OF CLUB. THE FIRST PICTURE IS OF THE CURRENT TOURIST MODEL COMPLETE WITH TAPA CLOTH AND SCRATCHED IN DESIGNS. THE SECOND EXAMPLE SHOWS A GOOD OLD FIJI CLUB REFERED TO AS GATA WAKA, THE WIDE CHEEKS OF THE CLUB WERE POUNDED WITH STONES TO SHAPE THE TREE BEFORE IT WAS CUT. THERE ARE A FEW PICTURES OF EXAMPLES OF THIS SORT OF CLUB WITH DIFFERENT RESULTS IN THE ROUGH FINISH OF THE CLUB. THE CLUBS WITH LOTS OF CARVEING SHOW TONGAN INFLUENCE AS USUAL. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 27th August 2013 at 01:41 AM.

27th August 2013, 03:53 AM	#3
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	MORE EXAMPLES OF GATA FORM CLUBS. NOTE TWO PICTURES HAVE CLUBS WITH HOLES THRU THE HEAD. THESE ARE CALLED TUDONU BECAUSE OF THE HOLES IN THE BLADE, THESE HOLES WOULD ORIGINALLY HAVE BEEN STRUNG WITH WIRY BLACK WAIOA CREEPERS THREADED WITH MULTI-COLORED TRADE BEADS. THE FORTH PICTURE MAY SHOW A FORM REFERED TO AS A WAKA KIAKAVO THIS WOULD BE DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF THE SMALL RIDGE AT THE CROTCH OF THE SPUR. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 27th August 2013 at 04:18 AM.

27th August 2013, 04:29 AM	#4
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	THESE ARE THE LAST OF THE GATA FORM THE NEXT FORM IS THE SALI WHICH HAS EVEN MORE SIMULARITY TO THE GATA FORM THAN THE KIAKAVO TO EITHER OF THE OTHER TWO. THERE ARE MORE SUB-CATEGORYS AMONG THE MAIN 3 TYPES OF SPURRED CLUBS BUT I HAVE NOT TRYED TO BREAK THEM DOWN COMPLETELY HERE. HOPEFULLY I HAVE NOT MIXED THEM UP ALREADY. THREE PICTURES TOWARD THE END ARE OF ONE EXAMPLE OF A VERY GOOD TONGAN CARVED GATA CLUB. Attached Images

3rd September 2013, 10:15 PM	#5
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	THE SALI FORM OF CLUB IS SIMULAR TO THE GATA FORM BUT HAS WIDER CHEEKS AND THE CURVE CONTINUES FARTHER DOWN THE LEGNTH OF THE CLUB SHAFT. I FIND THIS ESTHETICALY PLEASING IN THE WELL DONE FORMS. NOT ALL SALI ARE THIS GRACEFUL AND THERE ARE VARIATIONS REFERRED TO BY THI NAME SALI, CALI OR TEBETEBE . THESE CLUBS ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN NAMED AFTER THE CLAWED SALI FLOWER ONE OF THE BANNANA LIKE PLANTS. CLUNIE STATES " THEIR LONGER BROADER CHEEKS AND THEIR MORE HIGHLY DEVELOPED CREST OR SPUR DISTINGUISH THEM FROM GATA CLUBS". THEY WERE FIGHTING CLUBS BUT SAID TO BE USED IN DANCING OFTEN HELD BY THE SPUR DURING THE DANCE. THE FIRST EXAMPLE IS THE CLASSIC FORM THE OTHERS ARE IDENTIFIED AS SALI BUT IF SO ARE LESS CLASIC IN FORM. THE WARRIOR IN THE PICTURE HAS A SALI AND THERE IS A PICTURE OF ONE IN THE PICTURE OF FIJI CLUBS. BELOW THAT ARE PICTURES OF 3 EXAMPLES OF A UNUSUAL FORM NOW ON THE MARKET SOMETIMES REFERED TO AS A SALI ONE EXAMPLE IS INLAYED WITH SHELL IT IS 41 IN. X 9 IN.. THIS CLUB DOSEN'T APPEAR IN PARTINGTONS OR IN CLUNIES BOOK. EXCEPT THERE IS A PICTURE ON PLATE 10 IN CLUNIES BOOK BY REV. THOMAS WILLIAMS WITH A DRAWING DESCRIBED AS A GATA WITH A UNUSUAL SNAIL LIKE HEAD. THIS IS THE ONLY BASIS FOR THIS FORM OF CLUB I HAVE FOUND. I DID NOT FIND INFORMATION ON THE REV.WILLIAMS SO DATE AND TIME AS WELL AS THE ACCURACY OF THE DRAWINGS ARE UNKNOWN. THE LAST TWO ARE OF A UNUSUAL FORM SOLD TO ME AS A SALI BUT IT IS ONLY 24 X 7.5 INCHES I CONSIDER IT A GATA PERHAPS FOR DANCE BUT IT DOES SHOW PATINA AND WEAR AND WOULD BE AN EFFECTIVE WEAPON. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 4th September 2013 at 01:45 AM.

4th September 2013, 06:40 AM	#6
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	HERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES OF SPURED FORMS BUT NOT BASED ON ANY OLD EXAMPLES I KNOW OF. I WOULD CLASSIFY THESE AS FANTASY CLUBS AND AS ART ONLY SO NOT REALLY ETHINOGRAPHIC EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE MADE IN OCEANA POSSIBLY FIJI BUT NEVER SERVED ANY FUNCTION IN THE SOCIETY. ONE SEEMS TO INCORPORATE THE SAMOAN TEETH AS WELL AS TONGAN CARVING INTO THE FIJI FORM. THE OTHER HAS TONGAN AND FIJI ELEMENTS AND THOUGH A FANTASY CLUB SHOWS A SPLIT FORM OF HEAD. THERE IS A DRAWING IN CLUNIES BOOK OF A SPLIT FORM OF CLUB THOUGH IT IS SPLIT IN A DIFFERENT MANNER THAN THIS ONE SO THERE IS PRECIDENT FOR THAT ASPECT AS WELL AS THE GENERAL SHAPE OVERALL. FANTASY THEY MAY BE BUT THEY WOULD SURELY LEAVE A MARK IF USED Attached Images

5th September 2013, 05:21 AM	#7
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	1. THIS IS AN UNUSUAL FORM 28 INCHES LONG FIRST 3 PICTURES. AN EXAMPLE IS IN CLUNIES PLATE 12 ITEM G, REFERRED TO AS " VUNIKAU I DO NOT KNOW THE SPECIFIC NAME OF THE VUNIKAU OR " TREE ROOT" CLUB. THERE IS A EXAMPLE IN THE FIJI MUSEUM COLLECTION BUT EVIDENTLY NOT MUCH INFORMATION ON IT OTHER THAN THE QUOTE ABOVE AND THE DRAWING. 2. THIS IS ANOTHER SELDOM SEEN FORM THE CLOSEST TO IT IN CLUNIES BOOK IS PLATE 3 DRAWING B.IDENTIFIED AS TAVO, A RARE TYPE OF GATA TYPE WITH NO SPUR. THIS EXAMPLE IS 93 CM. LONG WITH NO CARVED DECORATION. IT FUNCTIONS IN BATTLE LIKE A GATA OR SALI BUT HAS NO SPIKE. 3.THIS IS A SAWED OFF FIJI CLUB OF A FORM SEEN ON PLATE 9 FIG.E. SAID TO BE A FORM INTRODUCED FROM TONGA. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 5th September 2013 at 06:08 AM.