Club, Tonga

Fighting clubs were the principal weapons of Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji. They provided a canvas for exquisite relief carving, and those by Tongan artists, in particular, are renowned for their fine geometric surface decoration and miniature figures depicting male activities such as hunting, fishing, and fighting. The decorative motifs present on this club form a mesmerizing array of vertical, horizontal, and zig-zagging patterns. At the center of the object, a downward-facing fish has been carved on one side, while a human figure appears on the other, perhaps alluding to the specific use of the club itself.