MOST DESIRED OCEANIC WAR CLUBS 4: SAMOA

[Billman]

Wonderful images, thanks very much...

Ref billhooks on ships - it was quite probable a) billhooks are an ideal tool for cutting firewood or splitting kindling for the galley stove b) many ships carried soldiers/marines and a billhook was often carried as an infantry/pioneer tool c) a billhook was often included in an emigrant's tool kit, so may have been carried by early settlers travelling on privately owned ships...

[VANDOO]

A FEW MORE EXAMPLES OF THE EAR SHAPED CLUBS.
PICTURES #1, 2, & 3. IS 18 X 4.5 INCHES.
# 4. 31 INCH LONG FORM FOUND IN TONGA ,SAMOA AND FIJI
# 5 & 6. SAMOAN DANCE PADDLE NOT A CLUB. 28IN. LONG X 8.5 WIDE X 2.25 THICK
# 7. MODERN 36 INCH LONG
# 8 & 9. 67 X 16 CM. OLDER CLUB
# 10 & 11 TWO RECENT EXAMPLES
#12. THE HEAD OF A OLDER CLUB.

[VANDOO]

THE SAMOANS HAD A CLUB FOR THROWING MUCH LIKE THE ULU CLUBS FROM FIJI. THE SAMOAN NAME WAS OLO OR OLEMO THEY WERE SHORT AND MADE OF HARD HEAVY WOOD AND OFTEN HAD A HOLE THRU THE BUTT FOR A CORD. THESE SAMOAN CLUBS HAVE MORE IN COMMON WITH TONGAN CLUBS THAN THE FIJI FORM AND THE GOOD OLD ONES ARE USUALLY NOT DECORATED. I HAVE NOT SEEN MANY EXAMPLES OVER THE YEARS WHICH MAKES ME WONDER IF THEY WERE VERY COMMON IN SAMOA. IF COMMON WHY DO WE SEE SO MANY FROM FIJI AND SO FEW FROM SAMOA AND TONGA?
ANOTHER POSSIBILITY IS SOME OF THE OTHER FORMS OF SHORT CLUBS MAY HAVE BEEN THROWN AND FILLED THIS NICH. THE SHORT WIDE EARED CLUB PICTURE #10 AND THE SHORT CLUB WITHOUT TEETH PICTURE #11 THAT MAY HAVE LED TO THE NIFOOTI FORM ARE GOOD POSSIBILITYS. JUST CONJECTURE AS I HAVE NO REFRENCES
#1. 2. & 3. A OLD EXAMPLE 15.5 INCHES LONG.
#4. A MODERN FANCY TOURIST MODEL
#5. ANOTHER TOURIST VARIATION BOROWING FROM FIJI DESIGN
#6. MODERN TOURIST VARIATION
#7. A OLDER PERHAPS 1960S EXAMPLE BUT STILL FOR TOURISTS
#8 & 9. MODERN EXAMPLES IN FORM BUT MADE INTO FULL SIZE CLUBS #8 IS 25 IN LONG AND #9 CLOSE TO 30IN.
#10. SHORT FORM OF EARED CLUB
#11. SHORT FORM OF EARED CLUB POSSIBLE PREDECESSOR OF THE NIFO OTI TOOTHED CLUBS.

[VANDOO]

#1 & 2. BOOK PLATES OF VARIOUS SAMOAN WEAPONS
#3. SAMOAN CHIEF DURING SAMOAN WARS PERIOD 1880'S
#4. & 5. WARRIORS FROM SAMOAN WARS PERIOD 1880'S.
#6. SAMOAN KNIFE DANCE 1910
#7. 1920 TO 1930 SAMOA
#8. 1952 SAMOAN KNIFE DANCE
#9. 1906 PAGOPAGO SAMOA
#10. SAMOA
#11. SAMAON KING MATAAFA
#12. SAMOAN SPEARS.

[VANDOO]

MORE PICTURES
# 1 & 2. TRADE ENGLISH BILLHOOK TYPE BLADE FOR TRADE IN SAMOA BEAL AND SONS, IT IS LIKELY JUST THE BLADES WERE SENT AND THEN MOUNTED LOCALLY THE SAME SYSTEM WAS USUALLY USED WITH AX HEADS.
# 3, 4 & 5 VARIATIONS ON THE LAUFA'I (BANNA LEAF FORM CLUB)#3 IS 20 IN. LONG, #4 IS 54 CM. LONG.
#6 & 7. LAUFA'I FORM WITH RIDGES / SMALL TEETH, #6 IS 32.5 IN. LONG
#8 EARED CLUB IS 24 INCHES LONG
#9 VARIATION OF NIFO OTI TOOTHED CLUB
# 10 CLOSEUP DETAIL OF NICE SAMOAN LIME FILLED DESIGN
# 11 & 12 BILATERAL TOOTHED CLUBS

[drac2k]

VANDOO,
On your 14th post you gave an example of whaling tools;I believe those to be Chinese polearms, one of them being a Chinese Tiger Fighting spear of which I have just acquired 2 of the spear heads.They are very massive.
I am very much enjoying your posts on clubs !
Respectively,
David

[VANDOO]

THANKS FOR THE CORRECTION YOU ARE PROBABLY RIGHT IT LOOKED LIKE A TIGER SPEAR TO ME AND THE ONE RIGHT UNDER IT LOOKED LIKE A BOAT HOOK. THE INTERNET SITE IDENTIFIED THEM AS WHALEING TOOLS I GUESS THEY JUST TOLD ME A WHALE OF A TALE . TAKEING A BIT MORE TIME I FOUND A FEW PICTURES SHOWING SOME REAL EXAMPLES UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE NOT FOUND ONE RESEMBELING THE SAMOAN KNIFE.
PICTURE #1 THE ORIGINAL MISLEADING PICTURE
#2. A BLUBBER HOOK IN USE
# 3. A DISPLAY OF FLENSING TOOLS AT A MUSEUM.
# 4 & 5. WHALEING TOOLS #5 SHOWS THE ENDS NOT IN PICTURE #4 THE HEAD SPADE USED PRIMARELY TO REMOVE THE HEAD. AND WHAT IS CALLED THE BOARDING KNIFE A LONG SHARP BLADED KNIFE WHICH IS USED TO CUT LARGE STRIPS OF BLUBBER OFF THE CARCASS.
#6. A FANCIFUL DRAWING FROM 1574 FRANCE SHOWING A FEMALE WHALE BEING FLENCED EVEDINTELY THIS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A BAG PIPE AND CONDUCTOR THE SMELL AND SOUNDS WOULD NO DOUBT HAVE BEEN VERY MEMORABLE.

[VANDOO]

A FEW MORE PICTURES. #1 & #2 A FORM OF BILATERAL CLUB WITH VERY THIN TEETH LIKELY AROUND 1950'S TO 1960'S WITH WHITE LIME INLAY, 27 INCHES LONG.
#3 TWO EARED FORM CLUBS. THE LARGE ONE IS MODERN OF EXTRA LARGE SIZE WITH NO WHITE LIME INLAY. THE SMALLER IS OF THE USUAL CORRECT SIZE AND DID HAVE LIME INLAY NOW LONG GONE. SMALL ONE 20 INCHES LONG AND LARGE ONE 31.5 INCHES LONG
#4. THREE CLUBS OF SIMULAR FORM AND AGE TWO 37 INCHES LONG AND ONE 21.5 INCHES LONG
#5 ,#6 & #7 A PRE CONTACT EXAMPLE WITH BATTLE DAMMAGE AND STAINING TO THE STRIKING END. THIS IS THE KIND OF DAMMAGE AND STAINING TO BE EXPECTED FROM A CLUB THAT HAS SEEN ACTUAL USE IN WAR. THIS IS A VERY HEAVY HARD WOOD WITH NO SIGNS OF DECORATION BUT HAS THE LUG ON THE POMMEL FOR A CORD WHICH IS FOUND IN TONGA AND SAMOA 29.5 INCHES LONG.
#8 , #9 & #10. THREE CLUBS ONE WITH BLACK MARKINGS 49 INCHES LONG MAY NOT BE SAMOAN BUT RESEMBLES A SAMOAN FORM. ONE MORE OF A SPEAR 51.5 INCHES LONG. THE SHORT ONE IS A SAMOA SOUVINEER AROUND WW2 ERA. 27 INCHES LONG.
#11 & 12 A SQUARE BILLET FORM OF CLUB DEEPLY CARVED EITHER TONGA OR SAMOA LIKELY 1960'S, 31.5 INCHES LONG

[KraVseR]

I have a question: what weapon uses Samoan police?