U'u club

maureenesther · 25th June 2013, 06:29 PM

I inherited a U'u club recently and was told that is is of the "tourist" variety.
I do know that it was in the possession of a Frank Homes, photographer, who lived in Tahiti from about 1890 to his death in 1953. I was told that he took possession of it after taking over another photographer's business. That man was a Mr. Spitz who was in Tahiti much earlier and had it probably about 1860 (?).

Can anyone help me date it and also to let me know the criteria that constitutes a "tourist" piece? Are there any physical characteristics that you can tell by?

Thank you!!!!!![IMG]jpg[/IMG]

VANDOO · 26th June 2013, 05:38 AM

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15945
THIS THREAD HAS SOME GOOD INFO. ON CLUBS FROM THE MARQUESAS.

THERE WAS AND IS A LOT OF INTREST IN SAILING AND VISITING THE ROMANTIC SOUTH SEAS. WRITERS, ARTISTS AND ADVENTURERS VISITED AND GENERATED INTREST FROM THEIR WORKS SO SCIENTISTS AND THE RICH WERE ATTRACTED TO THE ISLANDS LOOKING FOR OCEANIC ART TO COLLECT. WHEN THE CULTURE CHANGED AND ALL THE GOOD OLD EXAMPLES WERE GONE NEWER ONES WERE MADE TO FILL THE DEMAND FOR THESE VISITORS. THESE CLUBS WERE SOUGHT AFTER SO THEY HAVE BEEN REPRODUCED UP UNTIL TODAY.
TIKI CLUBS/RESTURANTS WERE VERY POPULAR DURING SEVERAL PERIODS AND IN MANY COUNTRIES SO MASKS, SPEARS AND CLUBS ECT WERE MADE FOR DECOR. YOUR EXAMPLE IS WELL CARVED BUT LACKS THE EXPERT CARVING FOUND ON MOST OLD ONES FROM PRE-CONTACT TIMES.
I SEE NO REASON TO DOUBT THE PROVENANCE YOU HAVE ON THE CLUB. IT DOES FALL INTO THE CARTEGORY OF POST-CONTACT TIMES AND IS MORE ART THAN WEAPON OR TRIBAL SYMBOL OF RANK. PROVENANCE OF ITS ORIGIN AND PURCHASE IN THE MARQUESAS AND A TIME REFRENCE AFIRM IT WAS MADE BY A NATIVE OF THOSE ISLANDS SO THAT IS A GOOD THING. A RARE NICE COLLECTABLE ITEM CONGRADULATIONS.

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Battara · 26th June 2013, 02:21 PM

Thank you Barry for differentiating the older post-contact pieces from modern tourist pieces.

I like the carving on this piece, but there are differences from the older pre-contact pieces. Barry is much more of an expert than I. Barry would you say that there big differences between post-contact and modern tourist pieces?

Welcome to our little forum!

VANDOO · 26th June 2013, 05:41 PM

THE BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRE-CONTACT AND POST CONTACT COMES ABOUT GRADUALLY FOR SEVERAL REASONS.
1. PRE-CONTACT CLUBS SUCH AS THESE WERE HELD AS SACRED IN THE SOCIETIES AND ONLY THOSE WHO HAD THE POWER AND PRESTIEGE TO OWN OR HANDLE THEM WERE ALOWED TO. THE TAPU'S (TABOO'S) HAD SEVERE PENALTYS AND WERE STRICTLY ENFORCED. ONLY CERTIAN PEOPLE WERE ALLOWED TO CARVE THEM AND THEY NO DOUBT KEPT STRICTLY TO THE TRADDITIONAL SACRED STYLES OF DESIGN AND FOLOWED SOME RITUALS WHILE MAKEING THEM. THESE DESIGNS HELD STRONG POWER (MANA) AND MEANING. THIS GAVE THE CARVERS SOME PRESTEGE AND POWER BUT IF THEY BROKE A TAPU OR OFFENDED THE CHIEF THEY COULD END UP IN THE POT LIKE ANYONE ELSE. SO THE PROPER WOODS TECKNIQUES AND DESIGNS WERE FOLLOWED UNLESS A CHIEF WITH ABSOLUTE POWER ASKED FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. PERHAPS DIFFERENT TRIBES, FAMILIES AND DIFFERENT ISLANDS HAD VARIATIONS TO SEPARATE THEM FROM THE OTHERS.? THESE CLUBS WERE ALL CARVED WITH PRIMITIVE TOOLS STONE, BONE, TEETH, CORAL AND FINISHED WITH SHARK SKIN OR SAND. THEY TOOK A LOT OF TIME AND CARE TO MAKE DUE TO THE TOOLS AND TAPU'S OF THE TIME.
2. POST- CONTACT WHEN THE INCREDIBLY RICH AND POWERFUL STRANGERS ARRIVED IT WAS FOUND THEY WOULD TRADE INCREDIBLE WEALTH FOR WHAT THEY WANTED. THE CHIEFS AND POWERFUL WERE THE ONES WHO PROFITED MOST AT FIRST BUT AS THE TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES BROKE DOWN THE LOWER LEVELS OF ARTISTS AND FISHERMEN AND FARMERS WERE ABLE TO GET INTO THE TRADE. PERHAPS THE WOOD CARVERS CHANGED THE TRADITIONAL DESIGNS AT FIRST TO KEEP FROM BREAKING TAPU AND ANGERING THE CHIEFS. LATER THEY WOULD FIND THAT A CLUB WITH INFERIOR WOOD AND CARVING WOULD BRING THE SAME PRICE SO THE QUALITY WENT DOWN FROM THERE. SOFT WOOD WAS MUCH EASIER TO CARVE AND CHEAPER TO BUY, METAL TOOLS MUCH EASIER AND FASTER AND WORKMANSHIP WAS NO LONGER A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH.
ON A GOOD NOTE SOME OF THE MODERN CARVING BEING DONE TODAY IS VERY WELL DONE AND SOME CARVERS DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO DUPLICATE THE OLD ORIGINAL CLUBS. THE TOOLS WILL BE MODERN STEEL AND PERHAPS DUPLICATING MACHINES MAY BE USED? THE ART MAY BE VERY GOOD BUT THERE IS NO HISTORY OR MANA.

THIS IS JUST MY OPINION FROM THINGS I HAVE READ AND SEEN OVER THE YEARS AND I AM VERY FAR FROM BEING AN EXPERT IN THIS FIELD SO CONSIDER THIS CONJECTURE AND DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE YOU QUOTE ANYTHING FROM MY POST HERE.

25th June 2013, 06:29 PM	#1
maureenesther Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 1	U'u club I inherited a U'u club recently and was told that is is of the "tourist" variety. I do know that it was in the possession of a Frank Homes, photographer, who lived in Tahiti from about 1890 to his death in 1953. I was told that he took possession of it after taking over another photographer's business. That man was a Mr. Spitz who was in Tahiti much earlier and had it probably about 1860 (?). Can anyone help me date it and also to let me know the criteria that constitutes a "tourist" piece? Are there any physical characteristics that you can tell by? Thank you!!!!!![IMG]jpg[/IMG] Attached Images

26th June 2013, 05:38 AM	#2
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15945 THIS THREAD HAS SOME GOOD INFO. ON CLUBS FROM THE MARQUESAS. THERE WAS AND IS A LOT OF INTREST IN SAILING AND VISITING THE ROMANTIC SOUTH SEAS. WRITERS, ARTISTS AND ADVENTURERS VISITED AND GENERATED INTREST FROM THEIR WORKS SO SCIENTISTS AND THE RICH WERE ATTRACTED TO THE ISLANDS LOOKING FOR OCEANIC ART TO COLLECT. WHEN THE CULTURE CHANGED AND ALL THE GOOD OLD EXAMPLES WERE GONE NEWER ONES WERE MADE TO FILL THE DEMAND FOR THESE VISITORS. THESE CLUBS WERE SOUGHT AFTER SO THEY HAVE BEEN REPRODUCED UP UNTIL TODAY. TIKI CLUBS/RESTURANTS WERE VERY POPULAR DURING SEVERAL PERIODS AND IN MANY COUNTRIES SO MASKS, SPEARS AND CLUBS ECT WERE MADE FOR DECOR. YOUR EXAMPLE IS WELL CARVED BUT LACKS THE EXPERT CARVING FOUND ON MOST OLD ONES FROM PRE-CONTACT TIMES. I SEE NO REASON TO DOUBT THE PROVENANCE YOU HAVE ON THE CLUB. IT DOES FALL INTO THE CARTEGORY OF POST-CONTACT TIMES AND IS MORE ART THAN WEAPON OR TRIBAL SYMBOL OF RANK. PROVENANCE OF ITS ORIGIN AND PURCHASE IN THE MARQUESAS AND A TIME REFRENCE AFIRM IT WAS MADE BY A NATIVE OF THOSE ISLANDS SO THAT IS A GOOD THING. A RARE NICE COLLECTABLE ITEM CONGRADULATIONS. WELCOME TO THE FORUM

26th June 2013, 02:21 PM	#3
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,139	Thank you Barry for differentiating the older post-contact pieces from modern tourist pieces. I like the carving on this piece, but there are differences from the older pre-contact pieces. Barry is much more of an expert than I. Barry would you say that there big differences between post-contact and modern tourist pieces? Welcome to our little forum!

26th June 2013, 05:41 PM	#4
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	THE BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRE-CONTACT AND POST CONTACT COMES ABOUT GRADUALLY FOR SEVERAL REASONS. 1. PRE-CONTACT CLUBS SUCH AS THESE WERE HELD AS SACRED IN THE SOCIETIES AND ONLY THOSE WHO HAD THE POWER AND PRESTIEGE TO OWN OR HANDLE THEM WERE ALOWED TO. THE TAPU'S (TABOO'S) HAD SEVERE PENALTYS AND WERE STRICTLY ENFORCED. ONLY CERTIAN PEOPLE WERE ALLOWED TO CARVE THEM AND THEY NO DOUBT KEPT STRICTLY TO THE TRADDITIONAL SACRED STYLES OF DESIGN AND FOLOWED SOME RITUALS WHILE MAKEING THEM. THESE DESIGNS HELD STRONG POWER (MANA) AND MEANING. THIS GAVE THE CARVERS SOME PRESTEGE AND POWER BUT IF THEY BROKE A TAPU OR OFFENDED THE CHIEF THEY COULD END UP IN THE POT LIKE ANYONE ELSE. SO THE PROPER WOODS TECKNIQUES AND DESIGNS WERE FOLLOWED UNLESS A CHIEF WITH ABSOLUTE POWER ASKED FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. PERHAPS DIFFERENT TRIBES, FAMILIES AND DIFFERENT ISLANDS HAD VARIATIONS TO SEPARATE THEM FROM THE OTHERS.? THESE CLUBS WERE ALL CARVED WITH PRIMITIVE TOOLS STONE, BONE, TEETH, CORAL AND FINISHED WITH SHARK SKIN OR SAND. THEY TOOK A LOT OF TIME AND CARE TO MAKE DUE TO THE TOOLS AND TAPU'S OF THE TIME. 2. POST- CONTACT WHEN THE INCREDIBLY RICH AND POWERFUL STRANGERS ARRIVED IT WAS FOUND THEY WOULD TRADE INCREDIBLE WEALTH FOR WHAT THEY WANTED. THE CHIEFS AND POWERFUL WERE THE ONES WHO PROFITED MOST AT FIRST BUT AS THE TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES BROKE DOWN THE LOWER LEVELS OF ARTISTS AND FISHERMEN AND FARMERS WERE ABLE TO GET INTO THE TRADE. PERHAPS THE WOOD CARVERS CHANGED THE TRADITIONAL DESIGNS AT FIRST TO KEEP FROM BREAKING TAPU AND ANGERING THE CHIEFS. LATER THEY WOULD FIND THAT A CLUB WITH INFERIOR WOOD AND CARVING WOULD BRING THE SAME PRICE SO THE QUALITY WENT DOWN FROM THERE. SOFT WOOD WAS MUCH EASIER TO CARVE AND CHEAPER TO BUY, METAL TOOLS MUCH EASIER AND FASTER AND WORKMANSHIP WAS NO LONGER A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. ON A GOOD NOTE SOME OF THE MODERN CARVING BEING DONE TODAY IS VERY WELL DONE AND SOME CARVERS DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO DUPLICATE THE OLD ORIGINAL CLUBS. THE TOOLS WILL BE MODERN STEEL AND PERHAPS DUPLICATING MACHINES MAY BE USED? THE ART MAY BE VERY GOOD BUT THERE IS NO HISTORY OR MANA. THIS IS JUST MY OPINION FROM THINGS I HAVE READ AND SEEN OVER THE YEARS AND I AM VERY FAR FROM BEING AN EXPERT IN THIS FIELD SO CONSIDER THIS CONJECTURE AND DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE YOU QUOTE ANYTHING FROM MY POST HERE.