19th Century Tongan Coconut Leaf-Stalk Club

A 19th century Tongan coconut leaf-stalk club apa'apai. Warfare was an essential aspect of Tongan societies and long clubs were among the favoured weapons. Made of very dense wood, toa (ironwood or casuarina equisetifolia), the club is long and flares out from a narrow cylindrical handle to a thick flattened diamond-shaped head. Two pierced holes in the handle allow a cord to be tied for hanging the club. When such clubs were made, they had almost no carved decoration on them. However, as the warrior grew successful in battle, new designs would be incised. This club being entirely covered with ornamentation suggests that the owner was a highly skilled warrior and therefore held a high status with an exalted mana, the Polynesian concept of power, prestige, and influence. The formal complexity of the carving indicates a labour-intensity of sharply faceted, delicate modelling chisel-work, enhanced by the fine dark-brown patina. The geometric decoration and miniature stylized figures relate to designs also used in tattooing and bark cloths, as all apply these motifs to also protect the bearer. This fighting club provides a vehicle for a patterned surface that both honours and shields, and is a superb example of prestigious Tongan arsenal. Provenance: from the collection of Keith St Cartmail. Length 113.5 cm, width 8.5 cm