MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 4: SAMOA

Billman · 1st October 2013, 09:38 AM

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 · 1st October 2013, 03:51 PM

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 · 1st October 2013, 05:10 PM

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.

Billman · 2nd October 2013, 06:36 PM

Many thanks

Natives adopted/adapted Euopean tools as well... The first image is from my archive (poached from the web) as Samoan, the second as Maori....

The whaling knife has a native made handle. The spiked billhook is unique - the forge weld indicates a possible marriage of an old billhook blade to a boarding axe. The two axe heads are early, probably pre 1850...

VANDOO · 3rd October 2013, 12:37 AM

BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLES I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE UNUIQUE MAORI AX WITH THE BILLHOOK,AX HEAD. THE OTHER ONE IS VERY COOL WITH A WHALEBONE HANDLE.
IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THE AX HEADS WERE VERY POPULAR TRADE GOODS WITH THE MAORI AS WELL AS OTHER OCEANIC PEOPLES AND IN THE AMERICAS AS WELL. THE SAMOANS NO DOUBT LIKED THEM TOO BUT THE SAMOAN HOOKED KNIFE WAS MORE POPULAR AS A TRADE ITEM THERE AND IS NOT SEEN ELSEWHERE AS FAR AS I KNOW.

VANDOO · 3rd October 2013, 01:14 AM

UNILATERAL TOOTHED CLUBS, ONLY ONE EDGE WITH TEETH. THERE ARE NO DOUBT OTHER FORMS IN SAMOA BUT THE NIFO OTI IS THE MOST POPULAR AND IS PERHAPS THE CLUB THAT BEST REPRESENTS SAMOA. WHY THIS IS REMAINS UNKNOWN TO ME SO MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT SOME FAMOUS WARRIOR OR CHIEF FAVORED THIS CLUB AND MADE IT FAMOUS.
NIFO =TEETH OTI = TO CUT, THE HOOK IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN USED TO CARRY THE SEVERED HEAD OF THE ENEMY HOME (TRUE OR FALSE ?) BUT IT IS A RECURRING STORY AND I HAVE HEARD IT TOLD ABOUT THE PHILIPPINE HEAD AX BACK SPIKE AS WELL.
THE BASIC FORM IS STARTED THE SAME AS THE COCONUT LEAF STALK CLUBS WITH THE HOOK CARVED ON ONE SIDE OF THE CENTER RIDGE AND THE TEETH ON THE OTHER. THE TEETH ARE USUALLY OF THE FORM WITH FOUR SIDES AND WITH EITHER NO SPACE OR VERY LITTLE BETWEEN THEM. FOR SOME REASON MANY NIFO OTI ARE USUALLY NOT CARVED WITH THE LUG AT THE PROXIMAL END FOR TIEING A CORD. VARIOUS EXAMPLES OF THE CLUB THE 4 TH CLUB IS FROM 1880. ONE PICTURE IS OF A NIFO OTI AND A ( FA' AAUFALA MACE CLUB. THE PICTURE OF THE WARRIOR WITH THE KNIFE FORM OF NIFO OTI WAS TAKEN IN 1908.

VANDOO · 3rd October 2013, 03:34 AM

#1 THERE ARE SEVERAL FORMS OF TEETH USED IN POLYNESIAN / OCEANIC CLUBS HERE IS A PICTURE SHOWING THE VARIOUS FORMS.
SEVERAL PICTURES OF THE EARLY FORMS OF NIFO OTI THAT HAD NO TEETH OR HOOK. THIS IS SPECULATION AS THE FORMS EXHISTED AT THE SAME TIME BUT THIS IS A FORM LIKELY TO HAVE EVOLVED INTO THE TOOTHED CLUB WITH HOOK. THIS CLUB DID HAVE A EDGE FOR STRIKING WHERE THE TEETH WERE LATER PLACED AND STRANGELY THE FORM WENT BACK TO THE EDGED FORM WITH THE ARRIVAL OF STEEL BLADES.
SEVERAL EXAMPLES AND ONE EXAMPLE THAT IS A UNILATERAL TOOTHED EAR FORM AND A BILATERAL TOOTHED FORM OF NIFO OTI.

1st October 2013, 03:51 PM	#2
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	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. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 1st October 2013 at 05:01 PM.

2nd October 2013, 06:36 PM	#4
Billman Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 129	Many thanks Natives adopted/adapted Euopean tools as well... The first image is from my archive (poached from the web) as Samoan, the second as Maori.... The whaling knife has a native made handle. The spiked billhook is unique - the forge weld indicates a possible marriage of an old billhook blade to a boarding axe. The two axe heads are early, probably pre 1850... Attached Images

3rd October 2013, 01:14 AM	#6
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	UNILATERAL TOOTHED CLUBS, ONLY ONE EDGE WITH TEETH. THERE ARE NO DOUBT OTHER FORMS IN SAMOA BUT THE NIFO OTI IS THE MOST POPULAR AND IS PERHAPS THE CLUB THAT BEST REPRESENTS SAMOA. WHY THIS IS REMAINS UNKNOWN TO ME SO MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT SOME FAMOUS WARRIOR OR CHIEF FAVORED THIS CLUB AND MADE IT FAMOUS. NIFO =TEETH OTI = TO CUT, THE HOOK IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN USED TO CARRY THE SEVERED HEAD OF THE ENEMY HOME (TRUE OR FALSE ?) BUT IT IS A RECURRING STORY AND I HAVE HEARD IT TOLD ABOUT THE PHILIPPINE HEAD AX BACK SPIKE AS WELL. THE BASIC FORM IS STARTED THE SAME AS THE COCONUT LEAF STALK CLUBS WITH THE HOOK CARVED ON ONE SIDE OF THE CENTER RIDGE AND THE TEETH ON THE OTHER. THE TEETH ARE USUALLY OF THE FORM WITH FOUR SIDES AND WITH EITHER NO SPACE OR VERY LITTLE BETWEEN THEM. FOR SOME REASON MANY NIFO OTI ARE USUALLY NOT CARVED WITH THE LUG AT THE PROXIMAL END FOR TIEING A CORD. VARIOUS EXAMPLES OF THE CLUB THE 4 TH CLUB IS FROM 1880. ONE PICTURE IS OF A NIFO OTI AND A ( FA' AAUFALA MACE CLUB. THE PICTURE OF THE WARRIOR WITH THE KNIFE FORM OF NIFO OTI WAS TAKEN IN 1908. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 3rd October 2013 at 03:00 AM.

3rd October 2013, 03:34 AM	#7
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	#1 THERE ARE SEVERAL FORMS OF TEETH USED IN POLYNESIAN / OCEANIC CLUBS HERE IS A PICTURE SHOWING THE VARIOUS FORMS. SEVERAL PICTURES OF THE EARLY FORMS OF NIFO OTI THAT HAD NO TEETH OR HOOK. THIS IS SPECULATION AS THE FORMS EXHISTED AT THE SAME TIME BUT THIS IS A FORM LIKELY TO HAVE EVOLVED INTO THE TOOTHED CLUB WITH HOOK. THIS CLUB DID HAVE A EDGE FOR STRIKING WHERE THE TEETH WERE LATER PLACED AND STRANGELY THE FORM WENT BACK TO THE EDGED FORM WITH THE ARRIVAL OF STEEL BLADES. SEVERAL EXAMPLES AND ONE EXAMPLE THAT IS A UNILATERAL TOOTHED EAR FORM AND A BILATERAL TOOTHED FORM OF NIFO OTI. Attached Images

1st October 2013, 09:38 AM	#1
Billman Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 129	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'????? Attached Images

1st October 2013, 05:10 PM	#3
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	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. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 1st October 2013 at 05:54 PM.

3rd October 2013, 12:37 AM	#5
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLES I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE UNUIQUE MAORI AX WITH THE BILLHOOK,AX HEAD. THE OTHER ONE IS VERY COOL WITH A WHALEBONE HANDLE. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THE AX HEADS WERE VERY POPULAR TRADE GOODS WITH THE MAORI AS WELL AS OTHER OCEANIC PEOPLES AND IN THE AMERICAS AS WELL. THE SAMOANS NO DOUBT LIKED THEM TOO BUT THE SAMOAN HOOKED KNIFE WAS MORE POPULAR AS A TRADE ITEM THERE AND IS NOT SEEN ELSEWHERE AS FAR AS I KNOW.