MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 4: SAMOA

[drac2k]

VANDOO,
On your 14th post you gave an example of whaling tools;I believe those to be Chinese polearms, one of them being a Chinese Tiger Fighting spear of which I have just acquired 2 of the spear heads.They are very massive.
I am very much enjoying your posts on clubs !
Respectively,
David

[VANDOO]

THANKS FOR THE CORRECTION YOU ARE PROBABLY RIGHT IT LOOKED LIKE A TIGER SPEAR TO ME AND THE ONE RIGHT UNDER IT LOOKED LIKE A BOAT HOOK. THE INTERNET SITE IDENTIFIED THEM AS WHALEING TOOLS I GUESS THEY JUST TOLD ME A WHALE OF A TALE . TAKEING A BIT MORE TIME I FOUND A FEW PICTURES SHOWING SOME REAL EXAMPLES UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE NOT FOUND ONE RESEMBELING THE SAMOAN KNIFE.
PICTURE #1 THE ORIGINAL MISLEADING PICTURE
#2. A BLUBBER HOOK IN USE
# 3. A DISPLAY OF FLENSING TOOLS AT A MUSEUM.
# 4 & 5. WHALEING TOOLS #5 SHOWS THE ENDS NOT IN PICTURE #4 THE HEAD SPADE USED PRIMARELY TO REMOVE THE HEAD. AND WHAT IS CALLED THE BOARDING KNIFE A LONG SHARP BLADED KNIFE WHICH IS USED TO CUT LARGE STRIPS OF BLUBBER OFF THE CARCASS.
#6. A FANCIFUL DRAWING FROM 1574 FRANCE SHOWING A FEMALE WHALE BEING FLENCED EVEDINTELY THIS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A BAG PIPE AND CONDUCTOR THE SMELL AND SOUNDS WOULD NO DOUBT HAVE BEEN VERY MEMORABLE.

[VANDOO]

A FEW MORE PICTURES. #1 & #2 A FORM OF BILATERAL CLUB WITH VERY THIN TEETH LIKELY AROUND 1950'S TO 1960'S WITH WHITE LIME INLAY, 27 INCHES LONG.
#3 TWO EARED FORM CLUBS. THE LARGE ONE IS MODERN OF EXTRA LARGE SIZE WITH NO WHITE LIME INLAY. THE SMALLER IS OF THE USUAL CORRECT SIZE AND DID HAVE LIME INLAY NOW LONG GONE. SMALL ONE 20 INCHES LONG AND LARGE ONE 31.5 INCHES LONG
#4. THREE CLUBS OF SIMULAR FORM AND AGE TWO 37 INCHES LONG AND ONE 21.5 INCHES LONG
#5 ,#6 & #7 A PRE CONTACT EXAMPLE WITH BATTLE DAMMAGE AND STAINING TO THE STRIKING END. THIS IS THE KIND OF DAMMAGE AND STAINING TO BE EXPECTED FROM A CLUB THAT HAS SEEN ACTUAL USE IN WAR. THIS IS A VERY HEAVY HARD WOOD WITH NO SIGNS OF DECORATION BUT HAS THE LUG ON THE POMMEL FOR A CORD WHICH IS FOUND IN TONGA AND SAMOA 29.5 INCHES LONG.
#8 , #9 & #10. THREE CLUBS ONE WITH BLACK MARKINGS 49 INCHES LONG MAY NOT BE SAMOAN BUT RESEMBLES A SAMOAN FORM. ONE MORE OF A SPEAR 51.5 INCHES LONG. THE SHORT ONE IS A SAMOA SOUVINEER AROUND WW2 ERA. 27 INCHES LONG.
#11 & 12 A SQUARE BILLET FORM OF CLUB DEEPLY CARVED EITHER TONGA OR SAMOA LIKELY 1960'S, 31.5 INCHES LONG

[KraVseR]

I have a question: what weapon uses Samoan police?

[VANDOO]

IN THE POST ABOVE PICTURE #8 OF 3 CLUBS THE MIDDLE ONE WITH BLACK MARKINGS IS NOT FROM SAMOA THE OTHER TWO ARE.
THE COLONIAL GERMAN COMANDERS AND TROOPS WERE ARMED WITH PISTOLS AND WHATEVER ELSE THEY THOUGHT THEY MIGHT NEED. THE SAMOAN CONSTABLES IN WESTERN SAMOA ( GERMAN FROM 1887 TO 1914) HAD RIFLES USUALLY WITHOUT THE BOLTS ON GAURD DUTY. BOLTS AND AMMO WERE ISSUED WHEN POLICE WERE MUSTERED FOR COMBAT OR FORAYS AGAINST RESISTANCE. FOR LOCAL CONTROL PERHAPS A BATON SUCH AS POLICE USED IN MANY COUNTRIES AT THE TIME.
NEW ZEALAND TOOK OVER IN 1914 WW1 AND DRAFTED AND FORMED LARGE NUMBERS OF SAMOAN TROOPS FOR USE IN WW1. THE POLICE PROBABLY WERE EQUIPED THE SAME AS UNDER THE GERMANS. WESTERN SAMOA GOT ITS INDEPENDENCE IN 1962. UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T HAVE A PICTURE OF THE POLICE WITH THEIR ARMS.

[VANDOO]

I WILL COVER MODERN CLUBS IN THIS POST THERE WAS QUITE A VARIETY OF THESE CLUBS COMING OUT OF WESTERN SAMOA TO BE FOUND ON EBAY. THERE ARE NOT AS MANY ON EBAY FOR NOW BUT I HOPE THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE OLD CARVERS HAVE PASSED OR JUST STOPPED CARVING DUE TO LACK OF DEMAND. THESE CLUBS SOMETIMES FOLLOW OLD FORMS AND DESIGNS AND SOMETIMES INCORPORATE NEW DESIGNS OR MODIFICATIONS. SOME CROSS OVER INTO PURE FANTASY AND SOME ARE MADE IN SMALLER THAN ORIGINAL SIZE FOR TOURIST TRANSPORT AND SOME ARE MADE IN LARGER THAN ORIGINAL. SOME CLUBS ARE STAINED DARK AND THEN CARVED TO SHOW THE LIGHTER WOOD SOME ARE JUST CARVED WITH DESIGNS INTO THE WOOD AND LEFT NATURAL. TAPA DESIGNS ARE USED BOTH MODERN AND OLDER TRADITIONAL. SOME CLUBS CROSS OVER INTO FIJI AND TONGAN FORMS OTHERS ARE STRICTLY SAMOAN. TODAYS CLUBS DO NOT FEATURE THE OLD TRADITIONAL WHITE LIME INFILL IN THE CARVINGS. IN A 100 YEARS OR SO NO DOUBT THESE WILL BE COLLACTABLE ESPECIALLY IF CARVING THEM COMES TO AN END. IN THE MEANTIME THEY ARE WELL DONE PICES OF ART AND ARE AFFORDABLE IF ONE WANTS A REPLICA OF A RARE OR EXPENSIVE FORM OF CLUB OR A NICE WALL HANGER.
PICTURES 1,2 & 3. THESE THREE CLUBS ARE SAID TO COME FROM WESTERN SAMOA FROM THE VILLAGE OF UAFATO IN THE REMOTE FAGALOA BAY AREA OF UPOLU ISLAND. THEY FURTHER STATE THAT THERE ARE 8 VILLAGES THERE WHERE THE TRADITIONAL WOOD CARVINGS ARE STILL DONE. THESE FAMILIES HAVE BEEN CARVING CLUBS FOR MANY GENERATIONS FOR CENTURIES. UNFORTUNATELY NEVER HAVING VISITED I CAN ONLY REPEAT WHAT WAS WRITTEN BY THE SELLER. THIS SELLER DID HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF CLUBS FOR QUITE A WHILE ON EBAY.
4. A SHORT HAND CLUB SAID TO BE COMING FROM APIA THE CAPTAL OF WESTERN SAMOA.
5. A FANTASY 36 INCH LONG FIJI CANNIBAL FORK CLUB WITH A TWISTED SPIRAL HANDLE.
6. A 37 INCH, TALAVALU FORM OF CLUB
7, 8 & 9. VARIOUS AX FORMS BASED MOSTLY ON FANTASY DESIGNS THE LONGER SINGLE BLADED FORM BEING CLOSEST TO THE ACTUAL FORMS FOUND.
10. ANOTHER TRADITIONAL CLUB FORM WITH A FANTASY SPLIT TIP.
11 & 12 VARIOUS SHORT ITEMS FOR TOURISTS.

[KraVseR]

Thanks, and what weapon uses Samoan police today? What kind of handguns?