Stone club.

[katana]

Hi Tim,
the stone head seems to have little evidence of being 'worked'...which suggests that 'form' came before function. It appears that the club head was almost entirely formed by natural erosion by water and movement (rubbing against other rock fragments by water flow ...tides or fast flowing rivers for instance.)

Have you been able to ID the rock used ? Obviously this could help discover the possible region that it originated and the way it would have been worked.
There is the possibility that the head is very old, was 'lost' and subjected to natural erosion. Re-found, and as it had a 'natural hammer/club head' form was remounted on a shaft The shaft seems to be 'mis-matched' with the head.....very egonomic with the slight curve...similar to late hatchet/small axe handles.
Flint as it is worked, flakes off leaving a facetted surface....however it is formed from molten lava and can form some very unusual organic shapes.....perhaps this club head was 'naturally formed and regarded by those that found it... to be a 'gift of the gods' and held in high esteem...it would also explain the lack of human intervention in its manufacture.

[Tim Simmons]

That is a possibility and along the lines I have mentioned earlier. This is a close up of the knapped edge of the ridge. The over side is mainly formed by a natural fissure with one or to knapped parts. The other end a small lump has been knapped off to accommodate the handle. It is not the working of the stone that is the clever part here. It is the perception and execution of the whole thing to achieve a fine balance and functional fighting weapon. The look at one is glance decieving.

[inveterate]

Tim, As a collector of Aussie Aboriginal Items (and a resident) I have never seen anything like this in any Australian Aboriginal collections or the literature on same. Cant speak for our Northern neighbors though. There are many Stone hafted Aboriginal Axes but none that resemble your item. A most unusual find. Rod

[Tim Simmons]

Thanks Rod I think so too. It is amazing to think people travelled such distances in canoes laden with flint stone from Australia. I believe the seas are shallow but that is not much help in a storm, you can drown in a tea cup, not to mention the sharks. I suppose you could island hop but you might not be friends with the nearest island. The whole thing is fasinating.

[Tim Simmons]

Considering the importance of club stone, it is possible that good stone by shape or number of kills May have been passed from one generation to the next. Like all weapons they hard and tough but also delicate when not used for there intended purpose.

[VANDOO]

A VERY INTERESTING ITEM AND IT DOES SHOW AGE. I WOULD ALSO AGREEE THAT THE STONE WAS SELCETED FOR USE WITH LITTLE MODIFICATION BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT IT HAD SIGNIFICENCE PERHAPS SEEN TO REPRESENT A POWERFUL ANIMAL TOTUM. I DOUBT THAT THE WORD TOTUM WOULD HAVE BEEN USED WHERE THIS WAS MADE BUT IT CONVEYS THE MEANING. THE SHAPES OF NATURAL ROCKS WERE CONSIDERED IMPORTANT TO MANY TRIBAL PEOPLES OVER THE WORLD. THE KUMBAINGERI ABORIGINALS IN N.S.W. MACLEAY RIVER AREA ASSOCIATED SHAPED STONES WITH TRIBAL MYTHS AND STORYS. I HAVE HAD NO LUCK GETTING A EXAMPLE OF A AUSTRALIAN AXE FOR INSPECTION AS I ALWAYS GET OUTBID AND I THINK PRICES HAVE NOW BEEN PUSHED UP ABOVE MY PRICE RANGE.
FROM WHAT I HAVE READ THEY USUALLY HAVE SOME NATURAL GUM RESIN ADHESIVE ON AUSTRALIAN EXAMPLES SO IF THAT IS PRESENT IT WOULD HELP PIN IT DOWN AT LEAST TO AUSTRALIA OR WHERE GUM TREES OR PRESENT WHICH STILL LEAVES A VERY LARGE AREA WITH MANY DIFFERENT TRIBES AND CUSTOMS. I AM ASSUMING THAT THE GUM COMES FROM ONE OF THE TYPES OF EUCULIPTUS TREES PRESENT IN THE AREA BUT NO LONGER REMBER WHERE I READ OR CAME UP WITH THAT BELIEF

THERE IS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY IT MAY HAVE BEEN MADE BY SOMEONE FOR FUN USING OLD METHODS AND MATERIALS. THE BOY SCOUTS HAVE BOOKS WHICH GIVE DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO USLE OLD TRIBAL MATERIALS AND METHODS TO MAKE TOOLS AND WEAPONS WHILE THEY STUDY THE HISTORY AND BELIEFS OF THOSE TIMES AND TRIBES HERE IN THE USA. PERHAPS THAT HAS BEEN DONE AS WELL IN AUSTRALIA AND OF COURSE THE TRIBES HAVE MADE SOUVINEERS FOR QUITE A LONG TIME NOW SO THERE ARE EVEN VERY OLD EXAMPLES OF SOUVINEERS SOME OF WHICH ARE QUITE COLLECTABLE.

THERE IS A GOOD BASIC BOOK " AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL STONE IMPLEMENTS" BY F. D. McCARTHY IT IS NOT A COFFEE TABLE BOOK WITH PRETTY PICTURES BUT HAS GOOD DRAWING AND LOTS OF GOOD INFORMATION AND I THINK IS NOT AN EXPENSIVE BOOK. REGARDLESS OF THE ORIGIN OF YOUR CLUB I DO LIKE IT A LOT AND AM SURE I WOULD APPRECIATE IT BETTER IF I HAD IT IN HAND. I THINK IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A LIZZARD OR THAT SMALL BUG EYED FISH THAT COMES OUT ON LAND THE MUDSKIPPER, PERHAPS ONE EYE HAS BEEN KNOCKED OFF WITH USE. NICE FIND

[VANDOO]

I WILL TRY TO SEND A FEW PICTURES IF THEY GO THRU. ALL THREE ARE SAID TO BE AUSTRALIAN.