File:The history of mankind (1896) (14577219029).jpg

Identifier: historyofmankind01ratz (find matches)
Title: The history of mankind
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Ratzel, Friedrich, 1844-1904 Butler, Arthur John, 1844-1910
Subjects: Ethnology Anthropology
Publisher: London, Macmillan and co., ltd. New York, The Macmillan co.
Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Wellesley College Library

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- sticks. The throwing-thong of New Caledonia arises from the same idea. Clubs are among themost popular weapons inMelanesia ; like the spears,they find their greatestdevelopment in the east-ward islands, particularlyin Fiji and the Solomons.Certain parts of New Guinea,as Maclure Gulf, possess noclubs. These weapons servefor striking or for guardingarrows and javelins, and ingeneral they form the accompaniment of every expedition. Hence their doubleposition as insignia of rank and weapons. They are often so heavy and shape-less, and yet wrought with such an expenditure of labour, patience, and ingenuity,that they must be intended for some purposes other than fighting only. The clubsof celebrated warriors in Fiji used to have names of honour or pet names ; in theirshapes some seem to be connected with the four-edged Tongan type, others withthe paddle-shaped weapons of Tonga and Samoa. A peculiar form is theimitation of a flint musket, lock and all ; another is a point projecting from a
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New Caledonian clubs, and a painted dance club (a) from the NewHebrides. (Vienna Museum.) 232 THE HISTORY OF MANKIND prickly fruit. In New Caledonia the most frequent form of club is the simplest,namely a bludgeon merely taken from a knotty branch. The first stage towardsfinishing lies in the making of a sharp edge round the knob, the next in childishstriped ornaments ; or a favourite plan is to jag the end in a star shape. Apeculiar club is one in the shape of a birds head, which here replaces that usedin Mota to open bread-fruit. But in all an easily recognisable difference fromthose of Fiji and Tonga is formed by the grip which thickens abruptly at thehandle end. Together with this goes the splicing of the handle with string, ribbon,palm fibres, even dry fern. In the case of the richest or most distinguishedpersons the throwing-cords are fitted with reddish brown knots. This ulti-mately led to the reddish brown shaggy ornament as found also on spears. Inrecent times it has been imi

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