New Caledonia, Kanak Peoples, 19th century, Club | 'Bird Head', Porowa Ra Maru

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Collection of Marquis Joseph-Fidèle-Eugène du Bouzet (1805-1867), acquired in situ between 1838 and 1840;
Thence by descent.

c.f. Arts of the South Seas, The Collections of the Musée Barbier-Mueller, edited by Douglas Newton, p.305;
c.f. Art and Artefacts of the Pacific, Africa and the Americas. The James Hooper Collection, Steven Phelps, p.260;
c.f. The Fuller Collection of Pacific Artifacts, Roland W Force and Maryanne Force, p.193.

Porowa ra maru, or "bird head" clubs, are carved in the form of stylised bird heads with long, pointed beaks. None of New Caledonia's native birds have similar beaks, which has led some scholars to believe that these clubs instead represent the stylised head of a sea turtle. Such objects were used by chiefs and symbolised wealth and rank. Occasionally, these items were exchanged as gifts during ceremonial gatherings.