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1906.20.30

Wooden dance/ceremonial club, (Kiakavo). [FC 08/08/2011]

1906.20.30

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Collection type
Object
Description
Wooden dance/ceremonial club, (Kiakavo). [FC 08/08/2011]
Long description
Wooden dance/ceremonial club, (Kiakavo). The club has a curved neck leading to the head with rounded roughened cheeks, a broad thumb-like spur with a pronounced 'wrinkle' between spur and head and a rounded butt at the end of the handle. The handle has been bound up the entire length in a narrow flat string of plaited sennit which is mostly becoming loose from the club. [FC 08/08/2011]
Geographical reference
Fiji
Oceania > Melanesia > Fiji
Person
Associated person Stephen William Silver
Field collector Unknown Collector
PRM source Sarah Constance Silver
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1906
Date collected
By 1906
Acquisition information
Donated: 03/1906
Materials and processes
Material Wood Plant, Material Sennit Coconut Seed Fibre Plant, Process Carved, Process Plaited, Process Bound
Dimensions
Length: max 1020 mm, Depth: max 45 mm, Width: max 200 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1906.20.30
Research and responses

Dance or ceremonial club called kiakavo, rarely if ever used for fighting (it lacks the point at the head end used in fighting clubs of broadly the same shape). It is made in a variety of woods (often soft woods) and frequently the handles are bound with sennit [as here] or pandanus matting, see F Clunie 'Fijian Weapons and Warfare' 1977 Fiji Museum, Suva, Bulletin of the Fiji Museum no.2 and R. Ewins, Fijian Artefacts: Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery collection' Australia 1982.[AP Leverhulme project on founding collection 1995-1998]

Ceremonial or dance club. See F Clunie 'Fijian Weapons and Warfare' 1977 Fiji Museum, Suva, Bulletin of the Fiji Museum no.2 and R. Ewins, Fijian Artefacts: Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery collection' Australia 1982: p.38 "Kiakavo or ulaula (dance and ceremonial clubs). Superficially resembling the sali, these clubs were, however, rarely, if ever used for fighting and lack the sharp 'blade' and pointed 'killing spur' of the sali. They were made of various woods (often light softwoods) and frequently the handles were bound with sinnet and pandanus matting. [FC 08/08/2011]

Search terms: Weapon, Dance, Ritual and Ceremonial, Club