Star-shaped club Kanak population, New Caledonia
Acacia... Lot 95
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Star-shaped club Kanak population, New Caledonia
Acacia wood with dark honey patina
19th century
Height: 69cm
One of the earliest European representations of the Kanak people comes from a drawing by
Nicolas Piron, the draftsman who accompanied Bruni d'Entrecasteaux on his expedition from 1791 to 1794. This depiction shows a warrior holding a thruster in his right hand, while his left hand holds a star-shaped puzzle.
Traditionally crafted from an extremely hard and resistant wood - in this case, guaiac (Acacia spirorbis) magnified by the lustrous dark honey patina - these close-combat weapons come in a variety of shapes, as catalogued by Fritz Sarasin in 1929. Our object belongs to the straight star-headed type. The cylindrical handle flares out at the end, announcing the cap-shaped head that widens into irregular lobes.
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