Kanak Club, New Caledonia

Collection of Ulrich Kortman, Dortmund

French private collection

A symbol of prestige and power, this porowa ra maru club - its top finely carved into the stylised head of a bird - was only used by high-ranking chiefs in New Caledonia. Although traditionally interpreted as a bird effigy, the absence of local species with such a slender beak has led some researchers to see it instead as the stylised representation of a sea turtle with a beak-shaped mouth.

The exceptionally fine detail of the carving, particularly tangible in the delicately crafted, long, tapered beak, suggests a non-military purpose: these clubs were not intended for combat but played a vital role in ceremonial exchanges, serving as status symbols or diplomatic gifts.  

As objects of power, ceremony and memory, porowa ra maru clubs are among the most emblematic pieces of ancient Kanak art.