MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 1: MARQUESAS

[VANDOO]

HERE IS ANOTHER MARQUESAN CLUB THAT RECENTLY SOLD. IT IS 121.61CM LONG AND WAS COLLECTED IN THE MARQUESAS CIRC. 1914 TO 1916. IT IS THE DARKER COLORED CLUB WITH ONE PICTURE. THE OTHER IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE IN THE SAME CLASSIFICATION OF FORM.
THERE IS A PAPER BY CAROL IVORY THAT APPEARED IN 1995 IN THE JOURNAL OF PACIFIC ARTS ASSOCIATION NO. 11 & 12. I DON'T HAVE A COPY AND HAVE NOT READ IT SO CAN'T COMMENT FURTHER.
THE SKETCH IS OF MARQUESAN ISLANDERS PUBLISHED IN 1837

[VANDOO]

TWO MORE ITEMS FROM THE MARQUESAS ONE PICTURE OF ONE OF THE OLD LONGER CLUBS. THE THIRD HEAD LOWER AND TO THE CENTER HAS A SORT OF STICK MAN DESIGN WITH ARMS AND LEGS THESE CLUBS USUALLY DON'T SHOW SUCH A COMPLETE FIGURE.
THE SECOND EXAMPLE IS ONE OF THE SMALLER MORE ARTISTIC EXAMPLES BUT DOES SHOW SOME AGE AND WEAR THERE ARE SEVERAL PICTURES SHOWING DETAIL. THE SMALLER CLUB IS 36 INCHES LONG X 7IN. WIDE.

[VANDOO]

THE SHORT VERSIONS OF THE U'U CLUBS ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE BECAME THE NORM AT THE END OF THE 19TH. CENTURY. THEY WERE THOUGHT TO HAVE FIRST BEEN CARVED WHEN THE SUPPLY OF THE LONG TRADITIONAL CLUBS RAN OUT. KARL VON DEN STEINEN WROTE IN 1897 THAT NOT A SINGLE OLD EXAMPLE OF THE LONG STYLE OF CLUB WAS ANYMORE IN THE ISLANDS.
#1 THRU #7 A NICELY CARVED EXAMPLE OF MARQUESAN CLUB 45 CM. LONG.
#8. OLDMAN CATALOG MARQUESAN U'U CLUB BUTTS WITH WRAPPED GRIPS.
#9. OLDMAN CATALOG MARQUESAN STAFFS 85.5 TO 57.INCHES LONG, 1 TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER, AND A SLING.
#10. DRAWING OF U'U CLUB
#11 & # 12 TWO MARQUESAN STILTS BOTH 14 INCHES HIGH.

[VANDOO]

#1. THRU #5. A SHORTER U'u CLUB SAID TO BE CIRCA 1940'S, 31 INCHES LONG #6. U'u DESIGN MAT.
#7. THRU #12. 37.5 INCH, U'u SAID TO BE CIRCA 1930 ,HEAVY WOOD WITH PATINA CORRECT FOR THE TYPE OF WOOD. OLD SPLIT TO HEAD ON ONE SIDE.

[VANDOO]

#1. 19TH CENTURY MARQUESAS U'u 27.5 INCHES LONG
#2. & #3. U'u 41.5 INCHES LONG, 19TH CENTURY
#4. TEMPLE IN THE MARQUESAS WITH TIKI'S
#5. & #6. MARQUESAS STILTS.

[VANDOO]

A FEW MORE MARQUESAS ITEMS
#1. A VERY WELL DONE FIGURE OF A WARRIOR WITH A NICE CLUB IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM IN WELLINGTON NEW ZEALAND.
#2. A MARQUESAS CLUB IN THE AUCKLAND N. Z. MUSEUM.
#3., #4., & #5. DETAIL OF MARQUESAS CLUBS.

[VANDOO]

A FEW MORE PICTURES OF MARQUESAS CLUBS #1 THRU #6 U'U' WAR CLUBS, #7 IS A VERY WELL CARVED MARQUESAS FAN HANDLE.

[Royston]

Oldmans catalog listing some clubs for sale.
He appears to have stopped dating the catalogues in June 1908, with number 63. They are still numbered after this.
Assuming that they continued to be monthly then catalogue number 84 from which these were taken should have been February 1910.

I have checked several websites and £18 in 1910 is somewhere between £1400 and £2000 today.

I would gladly pay the latter to have one of these.

Royston

[harvg]

Hi All, I usually collect Fijian artefacts, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to acquire an UU club. Any help or opinions as to age/valuation etc, would be greatly appreciated.



harvg