A 19th Century Fijian Club
#170039

A 19th century war club, bowai, from Fiji with rippled surface, and an old battle hole one surface. Heavy wood, minimalistic design with no decorative carving. Cf. Ewins, Fijian Artifacts, p. 31 number M5213 for a similar example in the Tasmanian collection, which bears a Samoan attribution. This style of flared “baseball bat” style is more typically Fijian, but could extend to other islands including Samoa. These clubs were wielded with deadly efficiency throughout Polynesia.

length: 110 cm / 43 ¼ in
weight: 1.60 kg / 3 lbs 8 oz

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