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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Bowhunting + Bows, Spears & Knives

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DoubleD
.400 member

Reged: 23/11/03
Posts: 2437
Loc: Retired in Oklahoma

Polynesian Spear
#58612 - 11/06/06 02:52 AM

I picked this spear up at a recent auction. It was represented as a Polynesion fishing spear with shaft cut off. Can anyone give me a better idea of what is or is not?

Blade is 6 inches long to shaft and 1 inch wide where the blade meets the blade shaft. Overall length is of blade and ferrule is 13 inches. Blade is mildly magnetic.

Whats left of the wooden staff is 11 1//5 inches to the ferrule. It is covered in a leather like material with three bands of heavier leather with spiral lacings. The lacings are hard but I can't tell what.The width of the lacings and bands are variable...not uniform inwidth,

This may be a tourist piece but not of real recent vintage. At worst it is an neat looking piece of iron.

Any one have any ideas about what this is, or is supposed to represent? Is it realy a Polynesian Fishing spear?

--------------------
DD, Ret.

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NitroX
.700 member

Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39881
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...

Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: DoubleD]
#58613 - 11/06/06 03:58 AM

Its looks like it is authentic and as described to me.

Nice buy.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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DoubleD
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Reged: 23/11/03
Posts: 2437
Loc: Retired in Oklahoma

Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: NitroX]
#58623 - 11/06/06 05:11 AM

Do you have any Idea which specific Polynesian culture? A friend suggested the staff may not be cut but may full length as some sort of short stabbing spear. I think it's cut. This was also represented as a fishing spear.

The Spear I was after was an East African small game hunting spear. It is a leaf pattern and hand forged with a very light staff. In order to get the African spear, I had to take the Polynesian Spear.

I have also located a pair of authentic Masai spears, but the price is a bit steep. I'll have to work on those.

--------------------
DD, Ret.

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NitroX
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Reged: 25/12/02
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Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: DoubleD]
#58626 - 11/06/06 05:33 AM

I'm not an expert but I would expect a fishing spear to have a smaller blade and a lot more and more effective barbs.

The main effective 'barbs' here are the two on the blade itself and look like they are designed to make it difficult for a victim to withdraw it. I would think it is from a long shafted throwing spear. I think a thrusting spear with short shaft, or not, would more likely be designed for easier withdrawal by the user, as he would want to keep it handy for the next use.

The wooden 'barbs' on the shaft are also interesting, and have some at right angles to the majority in line with the blade.

Not sure which South Pacific culture but it looks like something from the Solomon Islands, Bouganville, New Guinea region. These people are Melanesian are not Polynesian peoples. But I don't know.

Maybe a 'cannibal' spear.

I am willing to be corrected of course.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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DoubleD
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Reged: 23/11/03
Posts: 2437
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Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: NitroX]
#58638 - 11/06/06 03:05 PM

The barbs do indeed give the message that this spear is intended to stay with the impalee. The barbs are all in the iron blade. The last set pointing forward is intetersting, it would surely heed penetration.

Once stabbed with this the impallee could be held and atagonized.

It sure is an interesting piece.

I checked Google for Melenesian spears. Found a lot of arrow heads none with this pattern, most made of wood and bone, but all with hooks or barbs of some sort.

What cultures in the area were iron workers?

I have seen pictures of this pattern spear head before and do seen to remember is was South Pacific but...

--------------------
DD, Ret.

Edited by DoubleD (11/06/06 03:34 PM)

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NitroX
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Reged: 25/12/02
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Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: DoubleD]
#58649 - 11/06/06 06:53 PM

In reply to:

I checked Google for Melenesian spears. Found a lot of arrow heads none with this pattern, most made of wood and bone, but all with hooks or barbs of some sort.

I agree with this. All the ones I saw had wood and bone 'blades'.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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DoubleD
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Reged: 23/11/03
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Loc: Retired in Oklahoma

Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: NitroX]
#58653 - 11/06/06 11:33 PM

Digging around on the Internet I found the Ethnographic Arms & Armour Forum.

They say this spear is Zande from the part of the Congo that borders the Sudan. They even have pictures to show.

NitroX we were close only about 6,000 miles off!!

--------------------
DD, Ret.

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EricD
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Reged: 27/02/04
Posts: 4636

Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: DoubleD]
#59163 - 23/06/06 02:52 AM

In reply to:

They say this spear is Zande from the part of the Congo that borders the Sudan.

Interesting. The first thing that crossed my mind was that the spearhead and small barbs along the shaft of the spear head looked very much like the ones I saw carried by the Tubu in Chad. Which isn't far off from where you mention it's from. I'm not suprised that they are simular.

I still kick myself for not trading with a local to aquire his spear while travelling thru Chad...

You certainly have a cool spear there, and it sounds like you have a lot of other neat ones too!

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NitroX
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Reged: 25/12/02
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Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...

Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: DoubleD]
#59321 - 27/06/06 03:38 AM

In reply to:

They say this spear is Zande from the part of the Congo that borders the Sudan. They even have pictures to show.

NitroX we were close only about 6,000 miles off!!

Well I am glad we were not far off.

With hindsight makes sense.

So did they confirm the spear was meant to be a short hafted stabbing spear or was it shortened at some point in time?

Nice piece for a trophy room without doubt. Want to sell?

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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EricD
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Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: NitroX]
#59330 - 27/06/06 05:29 AM

FWIW, the simular spears we saw in Chad had shafts that were around 4-5 feet long.

Erik

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DoubleD
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Reged: 23/11/03
Posts: 2437
Loc: Retired in Oklahoma

Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: NitroX]
#59361 - 28/06/06 03:58 AM

The fellows on the ethonographic arms board tell me to not too be to hasty. The short shaft may not be original but it may be correct. In it's early life this spear may indeed have had a long shaft. Then later in life it became a scepter used in ceremonies or dancing. One fellow even suggested that is why the butt is frayed.

Since i haven't figured out how to dance through all the hoops of Gun Ownership here in RSA yet, I have taken up spear collecting. Here's what I have so far

As for being for sale. Always willing to sell anything that provides me with a means for early instant retirement. Make your offer accordingly.

--------------------
DD, Ret.

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Marrakai
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Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 3591
Loc: Darwin, Top End of Australia

Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: DoubleD]
#59445 - 29/06/06 11:40 PM

DoubleD:
A great many spears like yours were simply shortened to fit in a suitcase, so they could be brought back from the 'third world' on a Boeing. No doubt the frayed end means it was done during last-minute packing in the motel room, over-the-knee, perhaps?

You see shortened spears described thus in auctions all the time. I admire your romanticism, though!

--------------------
Marrakai
When the bull drops, the bullshit stops!
--------------------------------
www.marrakai-adventure.com.au

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DoubleD
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Reged: 23/11/03
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Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: Marrakai]
#59476 - 30/06/06 03:21 PM

Actually it was the fellows on the Ethnographic Weapons board who made the Scepter observation. They said it was common practice. People with a board name like Ethnographic wouldn't lie to me...would they?

Actually the fit in a suit case theory holds a a lot of promise with me also

--------------------
DD, Ret.

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Taylor416
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Reged: 25/11/04
Posts: 161
Loc: Central West, New South Wales....

Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: Marrakai]
#59566 - 04/07/06 02:08 AM

I was given a wooden shovel nose spear that originated from the Hooker Creek area in the early 80's, unfortunately it also had been shortened to about five foot for travel convenience, but it is still a nice piece. If I can work out how to attach a photo I post one.

cheers

--------------------
Love to hunt!

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DoubleD
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Reged: 23/11/03
Posts: 2437
Loc: Retired in Oklahoma

Re: Polynesian Spear [Re: Taylor416]
#59608 - 05/07/06 02:06 PM

Sure would like to see pictures of that Shovel nose spear

John, I added one to the collection:

--------------------
DD, Ret.

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