- 52
Throwing Club, Fiji
Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 USD
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Description
- wood
- Length: 17 1/2 in (44.5 cm)
i ula tavatava
Provenance
Lynda Cunningham, New York
Catalogue Note
Throwing clubs, i ula, were invariably made of a single piece of wood, usually an uprooted shrub. The present lot is an i ula tavatava, its name referring to the form of its 'elegant fluted head' (Clunie, Fijian Weapons and Warfare, 1977, p. 60), rather than to the characteristic zig-zag grip carving, also known as tavatava.
'One to three throwing clubs were worn in the warrior's waistband, often at the back, being thrust through his girdle like a brace of pistols, of which they were roughly the Fijian equivalent; being essentially a close range projectile weapon carried in addition to a heavier weapon, ready to hand as the situation demanded.' (ibid.)