Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Ethnographic Weapons

 
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
Old 8th February 2013, 11:55 PM   #1
VANDOO
(deceased)
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: OKLAHOMA, USA
Posts: 3,138
Smile MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 3: FIJI

THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE AND DESIRABLE OF THE CLUBS FROM FIJI IS THE TOTOKIA, ALSO KNOWN AS THE PINNAPPLE CLUB OR BEAKED WAR HAMMER.
THIS CLUB ACHIVED MORE WIDESPREAD FAME IN THE STAR WARS MOVIE, IT WAS REFERRED TO AS A GAFFI STICK AND WAS CARRIED BY THE SAND PEOPLE ALSO KNOWN AS TUSKAN RAIDERS.
THE CLUB IS THOUGHT TO HAVE EVOLVED IN FIJI FROM THE EARLIER "I- TUKI" FORMS OF BATTLE HAMMER. THEY RESEMBLED THE TOTOKIA BUT EITHER LACKED THE SPIKE ENTIRELY OR HAD A VERY SHORT WIDE ONE. THESE WERE FAVORED BY CHIEFS AND FAMOUS WARRIORS AND OFTEN THE CLUB ITSELF ACHIVED FAME THRU ITS OWNERS EXPLOITS AND EARNED A NAME IT WAS USUALLY " THE PENIS OF SO AND SO" THESE CLUBS WERE OFTEN AMONG THE BURIAL GOODS OF IMPORTANT PEOPLE.
THEY WERE MADE BY BENDING A SMALL TREE AND CAUSING THE BOTTOM PART NEAR THE ROOTS TO GROW THICK. WHEN THE TREE WAS THE PROPER SIZE IT WAS HARVESTED AND THE CLUB CARVED FROM THE ONE PIECE OF WOOD. THERE ARE A FEW RARE CLUBS WITH THE SPIKE MADE OUT OF SPERM WHALE TOOTH, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN A HIGH PRESTIEGE ITEM. THESE CLUBS WERE FAST AND DID NOT REGUIRE A LARGE WINDUP OR SWING AND WERE LETHAL WITH A LOT LESS FORCE. THIS MADE THEM VERY GOOD FOR AMBUSH ALONG A TRAIL AS ONE QUICK SHORT STRIKE POKED A NEAT HOLE IN THE VICTUMS HEAD. THEY WERE GOOD FOR FIGHTING IN HEAVY BUSH AS A LARGE SWING AREA WAS NOT REQUIRED. THEY WERE JUST AS GOOD IN THE OPEN AND WERE A QUICK WAY OF FINISHING OFF WOUNDED OR OF EXECUTING CAPTIVES.
THE SPIKE OR BEAK WAS CALLED "BATI-NI-SESE" IN SOME AREAS WHICH MENT TOOTH OR BEAK OF THE KINGFISHER. THERE WERE OTHER VARIATIONS IN DIFFERENT AREAS DUE TO DIFFERENT DIALECTS.
MOST OF THIS INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN THE BOOK "FIJIAN WEAPONS & WARFARE, BY FERGUS CLUNIE, I HIGHLY RECOMEND IT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN FIJI.
HERE ARE SOME PICTURES MOST OF THESE CLUBS HAVE A ROUND HEAD BUT ONE PICTURE SHOWS AN OVAL FORM. SOME CLUBS HAVE CARVED DESIGNS ON THE GRIPS AND MANY DO NOT SOME MAY HAVE HAD FIBER WRAPS AS WELL BUT IT SEEMS TO BE VERY RARE. BUT FIBER WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED VERY LONG THIS IS TRUE ON OTHER CLUBS FROM FIJI AND ELSWHERE TOO. THE PICTURE OF TWO TOTOKIA AND SOME OTHER CLUBS HAS ONE WITH A WHALE IVORY BEAK. FOR AN IDEA OF SIZE RANGE THE ONE WITH THE OVAL HEAD IS 39.5INCHES LONG AND ONE OF THE OTHERS IS 31 INCHES LONG.THE TWO I HAVE ARE 29.5 IN. AND 30 IN. LONG. THEY CAN VARY IN MASS. THE OLDER ONES I HAVE SEEN ARE USUALLY HEAVIER WITH A LARGER HEAD AND SHAFT AND GRIP THAT IS CLOSE TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER.
Attached Images
         

Last edited by VANDOO; 9th February 2013 at 09:07 PM.
VANDOO is offline   Reply With Quote
 

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:28 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.