Club (Iula Drisia)
ClassificationsArms and Armor-clubs
Date19th Century
Made AtFiji
MediumWood
Dimensions15 × 3 × 1 1/8 in. (38.1 × 7.6 × 2.9 cm)
Credit LineAnonymous Gift
Object number97.138.12
DescriptionWarfare was a constant feature throughout Fijian history, even into the 19th century, but many weapons’ decorations saw more effort than their utility. Even as weapons intended to break bones and kill, clubs filled an equally important symbolic role as items of immense social power in Fiji. These clubs were almost exclusively decorated with intricate carvings or ivory or shell inlays, making them important symbols of status for their owners and valuable exchange items. Iula drisia are a variant of the iula tavatava with spherical heads. Despite their name, missile club were sometimes used as melee weapons, but their intended use as a thrown weapon was far deadlier. It was previously thought that the small triangles at the base of the club were kill tallies, but they in fact mark the passage of feast nights and rituals associated with deceased kin. On View
On viewCollections
early to mid 20th Century
1860-1904
18th - 19th Century
early to mid 19th Century
18th to 19th Century
mid 19th Century
18th to 19th Century
1871-1879
mid 19th Century
mid 19th - early 20th Century