Skip to content
Pitt Rivers Museum

1918.2.12

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


1918.2.12

Digital asset copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford

Terms and Conditions

If you wish to order a high-resolution image and/or licence its use for print or web publication, exhibition, film, promotional product or any other use, whether in the academic or commercial sector of any print run, then please visit photographic services.

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 painted with a white pigment, 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 narrow flat strings of plaited sennit. The sennit is coloured black and brown. The sennit is loose around the handle of the club. [FC 08/08/2011]
Geographical reference
Cultural groups
Kiakavo
Person
Field collector William Johnson Sollas
PRM source William Johnson Sollas
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1918
Date collected
By 1918
Acquisition information
Donated: 1918
Materials and processes
Material Wood Plant, Material Sennit Coconut Seed Fibre Plant, Material Pigment, Process Carved, Process Plaited, Process Bound, Process Painted
Dimensions
Width: max 220 mm, Length: max 970 mm, Depth: max 65 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1918.2.12
Research and responses

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, Club