More clubs.

kronckew

kronckew

Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Messages
3,409
If you can't joint 'em, beat 'em.

i today acquired a pair of iwisa (zulu knobkerry clubs). my others are in the 2-3 in. diameter knob ranges, average sizes.

these two are on their way from the same e-pray dealer, rounding out the collection.

one has a small knob, looks about 1.5 in. dia., the other has a 4 in. dia. knob.
the sm. one is 36 in. long & the large is 30 in. both made of 'assegai wood' 'Curtisia Dentata', a very dense and strong dogwood species. they are normally carved from the tree so as to have both the deep red/black heartwood and the white softwood. neither has the fancy wire banding. the small headed one was likely used as a walking stick by an elder. the ground end shows some abrasion.
photos tarted up a bit in photoshop. better ones when they arrive next week.

Big
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Little
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also on it's way, a 40" x 1.3" desert ironwood staff from arizona.

not sure what i'll make of it, might just leave it as it is, whip a grip & lanyard on one end & use it for doggy walks.

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and for a change, one of my maori hand clubs, "wahaika", 16 in. long & about a pound & a half of 1.5" thick hardwood.

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p.s. - you hit with the edge opposite the tiki figured cutout, he is meant to be looking over your shoulder to 'watch your 6'.

a slightly more decorative wahaika, about the same length, a tad thinner, but with sharper edges. again, the strikeing edge is the upper one, opposite the tiki.

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really cool war clubs..thats what I call em anyway..i am whitling two pieces myself,bodark,osage orange/if that's how you say it, and a oak piece I have been drying them both out for months.the oak split some,cut it all out,whitlin me some tire knockers.. yeah,thats what they are.
 
Awesome Knonc, I do love the patience and detail on those Maoris the red-ish one is my favorite. I would let him watch my back anytime.

Bargs, good that the split during drying was something you could arrange the carving around. we require pics of your tire thumpers when you get done :D
 
how about this 17in. wahaika style club.

looks cool, nice pattern in the wood, smooth finish, sharp edge. strong maori fern tip carving pattern. was apparently bought from an estate sale at bonham's auction house in london and i bought it from a dealer on ebay. fairly expensive.

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it arrived about a week ago. felt a bit light for hardwood. very shiney finish with and unbelievable wood grain pattern.

tapped it with a fingernail. felt a bit odd. examined further, slight defect near the lanyard hole that looked suspiciously like a molding fill error!

it's PLASTIC!

i returned it, suggested the dealer do a red-hot pin test (plastic melts, wood doesn't). she did, it failed. immediately refunded my money & contacted her dealer for a refund, who contacted sotherby's who (not bonham's) had sold it to him. sotherby's is a very prestigious auction house in london. even the experts can be fooled. apparently there has started a black market manufacturing of these counterfeit clubs in NZ, molded in plastic from actual originals. this one felt too light - if it had been heavier i might not have caught it. i wouldn't have minded if it was a new copy in hardwood, but plastic is a step too far.

'caveat emptor' (buyer beware) works for dealers as well as end users.

in rome, they say, a victorious general entering rome in triumph with his spoils of victory and followed by his troops had a man riding in his chariot and standing behind him holding his laurel crown over hism head, but periodically muttering in hois ear 'momentum mori' - remember thou art but mortal. even the best experts require reminding once in a while.
 
Interesting clubs. I can't even begin to imagine the headache id get from a tap over the head from one of them. I'd prefer the hangover of death I get every Sunday any day. :D

Shame about the knock off club, but good catch finding it! It could fool the experts but not you haha
 
i must admit i'd had a warning from someone more knowledgeable about maori clubs than me a couple of months ago when i got my 1st maori one, so forewarned is forearmed.

...and now back to our regularly scheduled program....

my taiaha, 1.5 metres, hardwood. flattened blade end is lenticular, carved both sides, spear end is also carved both sides.

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[video=youtube;rLmS9e_4m6A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLmS9e_4m6A[/video]

the short white clubs are 'patu', they are made of wood, whale jawbone, or even jade. they are mostly used for thrusting they are edged.

(see my next post)
 
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jade patu are referred to as 'Mere Pounamu' (jade=pounamu and are the highest class. bone is next down, then wood.

my mere, small is 27 cm. 580 grams (1.28 lb.), large is 41 cm. 1280 grams (2.82 lb.)
dark green jade is better class than the lighter jade.

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a wood one i have: 39 cm. fairly light. evergreen (kauri) wood.

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plain one, fairly crude. sharp edged heavier hardwood tho. probably done by a student carver. needs a lanyard hole bored in it.

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p.s. - the axe-like club carried by the 'chief' (feathered cape guy) is a tewhatewha, used mostly for signalling orders to the common warriors. when used as a club, the striking was done with the side opposite the 'blade' to avoid snapping it off. feathers were usually attached to distract an enemy.
 
NZ troops great fallen comrades on return from afghanistan.
[video=youtube;B5js6wPXec4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5js6wPXec4[/video]
the haka is a traditional warrior greeting. kinda scary.

war haka, couple of hundred armed warriors.
[video=youtube;0dq1-ftDWeY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dq1-ftDWeY[/video]
 
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and here is a wahaika pounamu club in action

shotgun vs. mere
[video=youtube;R6gfP390bmM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6gfP390bmM[/video]
 
just acquired a 'vintage' (mid 20th c.?) taiaha. this one is 2.5 in. longer than the one just above. also 60% heavier (949 gm) than the other's 600 gm. plain blade, fibre skirt rather than feathers, marks on blade from parry impacts, end have some wear from abrasion. blade end is sharper on this one, rather than squared off & flat like the other. couple of old worm holes. this appears to be more of a useable one than a display one. should arrive in a few days.
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also found a patu that i bought solely for the wood, it's apparently nz purirri wood, a very dense & heavier than water wood. looks beautiful. probably not very old, but whattheheck. no lanyard, but looks like some wear at the lanyard hole. age & size not listed by vendor.
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Lovely clubs.

I found a nice short piece of hard oak about 11" long that would make a good dog walking whopper with a little work. This thread inspires me:)
 
hehehe, got ndog worried about that dog whopper eh?

Kron as always incredible. I am in awe of the breadth of your collection. There are actually quite a few folks here that put my collections to shame, but yours is such incredible pieces across so much variety of style and region that it really stands out. Exceptional!
 
kronckew said:
.... also found a patu that i bought solely for the wood, it's apparently nz purirri wood, a very dense & heavier than water wood. looks beautiful. probably not very old, but whattheheck. no lanyard, but looks like some wear at the lanyard hole. age & size not listed by vendor.
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What a beautiful piece of wood. It looks like Koa in the photo, but Koa is not nearly as heavy.

I bought a patu recently, but was disappointed. It's a nice size and shape, but much too lightweight to be convincing as a weapon. I'm tempted to use it as a model and make one from a piece of lignum vitae that I've had stashed away for many years.
 
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