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Club, 20th Century
Unrecorded artist; Sepik River region, Papua New Guinea
Wood; 48 × 2 1/2 ×…
Club
Club, 20th Century
Unrecorded artist; Sepik River region, Papua New Guinea
Wood; 48 × 2 1/2 ×…
Club, 20th Century Unrecorded artist; Sepik River region, Papua New Guinea Wood; 48 × 2 1/2 × 1 in. 2021.7.85 Anonymous Gift

Club

ClassificationsArms and Armor-clubs
Date20th Century
Made AtEast Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
MediumWood
Dimensions48 × 2 1/2 × 1 in. (121.9 × 6.4 × 2.5 cm)
Credit LineAnonymous Gift
Object number2021.7.85
DescriptionThis sword-shaped club exhibits design characteristics common to many cultures throughout Papua New Guinea. The distinctive ridge running along the length of the club, however, may suggest its origin in the Sepik River region.

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.
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