Naturel de Nouka-Hiva

Rare lithograph of seated tattooed warrior of the Marquesas Island of Nuku Hiva in French Polynesia, holding a war club called an, Uu and with conch shell by his side..

The natives of the Marquesas were famous for their tattoo designs on warriors’ bodies.  Warfare was an integral component of life in the Marquesas Islands in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. THe Uu clubs were a Marquesas warrior’s most prized possession they served as both a weapon in close combat and as a mark of high status within society. They are made from ironwood, also called toa by the Marquesans, a dense, heavy, hard wood. The clubs were buried in the mud of taro fields, then polished with coconut oil, to give them a rich, dark patina. Strands of braided sennit, with human hair attached, were wrapped around the handle area. The hair was usually that of relatives. They were designed with a curved notch on the top edge so that the warrior could put it under his arm and lean on it. As a result, they vary in size, between 4.5 and 5 feet, depending on the height of the owner. The head of the club has two sides, each carved to resemble a large human face.

References:
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 3184.
Brosse, J. Great Voyages of Exploration. The Golden Age of Discovery in the Pacific. Sydney 1983 pp.186-194..

Collections:
Getty Museum: Object name: 917_05_WHA_080_0850
National Library Australia: Bib ID 285426