A tale of two sticks

[Tim Simmons]

Hoping not to bore everyone to tears I just want to add this.

The reason I am thinking this is a pole club is by the weight and that niether end has ever been in contact with the ground. This makes me feel it is a cared for weapon that may have taken considerable effort to make with limited access to steel tools? Pictures of the ends, also an interesting picure of Samburu sticks from "Cradle of Mankind - Mohamed Amin" these are to some degree more crude and do have contact with the ground.

[fearn]

Hi Tim,

Actually, that does help. Although we both know that there are a lot of blackwoods and rosewoods in the tropics, this is a good lesson in how hard it can be to attempt to trace a club based on the wood it is made from. It wood actually be easier to do it from the smell of the wood that the color, at least theoretically.

Stylistically, I think you've got a point, which is that this stick doesn't seem to have been a generic walking stick (due to lack of scarring from the ground), and I'm comfortable calling it a pole club.

Best,

F