Club (Morimori)
ClassificationsArms and Armor-clubs
Date20th Century
Made AtSolomon Islands
MediumWood
Dimensions41 1/2 × 3 × 1 in. (105.4 × 7.6 × 2.5 cm)
Credit LineAnonymous Gift
Object number2021.7.76
DescriptionThis type of war club, sometimes referred to as a morimori, originates from the Solomon Islands and was collected on a field expedition in 2004. One of many shapes of clubs made in the Solomon Islands, this club would likely have originally been adorned with a fiber wrapping around the handle. When used in combat, this type of club would have had practical applications for both offense and defense. One account claims that they were euphemistically referred to as 'botagaufolo', or 'smash house walls'.War clubs were very common in the islands that make up Melanesia, including the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Guinea. Primarily wielded in tribal conflicts, clubs made of heavy wood and occasionally fitted with stone heads were highly effective bludgeoning tools. War clubs had other uses too. They could be employed in agriculture and symbolic war clubs were often created for the sole purpose of being placed beside a deceased warrior as they prepared for the journey into the afterworld.
On View
On viewCollections
20th Century
20th Century
20th Century
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early 20th Century
late 19th to early 20th Century
early to mid 20th Century
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late 19th Century
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