War Club
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1858
label: Collection Date
content: 1838 to 1842
name: label: Donor Name
content: United States Exploring Expedition
notes: label: Notes
content: BROAD PADDLE-LIKE BLADE COVERED WITH INCISING AND CARVED DESIGNS IN CRESCENT AND FULL MOON MOTIFS. THE BASE OF THE BLADE WIDENS TO POINTS WITH A BROAD CROSS RIB. ONE EDGE IS BROKEN OFF. TYPE CALLED IN FIJI "KINIKINI," PRIEST'S OR CHIEF'S HARDWOOD CLUB. THE THIN EDGE OF THE BLADE WAS USED AS A WEAPON, FOR CUTTING AND SNAPPING THROUGH THE BONE. THIS CLUB IS VERY BROAD, AND MAY HAVE BEEN USED AS A SHIELD/CLUB. NOTE ON OLD CATALOGUE CARD FROM RIESENBERG, 1965, STATES THAT THE CLUB IS "CERTAINLY FIJIAN, AND MUST HAVE BEEN IMPORTED TO TONGA". PUBLICATION: FOR A SIMILAR CLUB SEE FERGUS CLUNIE, "YALO I VITI," FIJI MUSEUM, 1986, PP. 119 & 185, AND CLUNIE, "FIJIAN WEAPONS AND WARFARE," 1977, P. 55-56.
label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "LARGE PADDLE TYPE, WIDE CROSS RIB. THIS CLUB COLLECTED IN TONGA BY U. S. EX. EX. IN PEALE CATALOG IS CALLED "AKAN, WAR CLUBS USED BY THE TONGA ISLANDERS." BUT IS CERTAINLY FIJIAN, AND MUST HAVE BEEN IMPORTED TO TONGA. (PER RIESENBERG, 1965)."
label: Notes
content: As of 2013, there are 2 dissimilar clubs bearing this catalogue number. Notation on catalogue card "2" seems to indicate that this has been the case for some time.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 2 Dec 2014
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Tongatapu Group, Tonga, Polynesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Tongan
label: Culture
content: Fijian
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 66A00050
label: USNM Number
content: E3591-1
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Club
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 113 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 34 cm