Rare Fijian War Club ‘Buli Buli’

Epoque: 1700-1900

Origine: Fiji

Medium: Wood

Dimension: 107.5 cm (42³/₈ inches)

Provenance: Ex Private Yorkshire collection 

cf A similar example can be found in Art and Artefacts of the Pacific, Africa and the Americas, The James Hooper Collection; Steven Phelps, 1976, plate no. 111, no. 865, page 198

Literature: Prestige and adulation were accorded to those accomplished in the martial arts, although these were only achieved by using a weapon effectively, and so the Fijian warrior would choose a club that suited his stature and natural movements. The two handed club was the traditional and favourite weapon. Different weapons were used for different types of blow and this club was a striker or crusher that was used with a downward smashing motion.
     It is said that the terrible wounds inflicted by the war clubs can still be seen on smashed skulls in burial caves on Fiji and that some warriors survived the heavy blows to live on for years with dramatically misshapen heads.