Obscure Weapon: Solomon Islands Paddle War Club SMASHES HEADS!
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- Опубликовано: 23 апр 2023
- The 'paddle' style war club from the Solomon Islands is much more than JUST a big stick for smashing heads! It's a weapon of status, elegance and sophistication. Well kind of.
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I think we all love when Matt Easton shows us some nice hard wood.
Matt seems to love showing us how much wood he has.
Lol
Specially when he said ... its a pretty pleasant piece of wood.😅
@@kronoscamron7412 Matt has always had the best looking piece of wood!
I always love it when Matt slides his hands up and down the shaft of some good, hard, wood.....
"Giant stick go bonk" is the kind of thoughtful, comprehensive analysis that keeps me coming back to this channel.
Hahaaa same😂
Giant stick go bonk.
Good point. I can't argue with that.
😂😅
Also in this series: Deep pit go drop and new: dropped stone go smash!
Aaaaaa
I came for that and stayed for the pleasing wood.
Pratchett had a great bit in The Last Continent where he describes wooden weapons, though he was specifically referencing a boomerang;
'You might laugh at the idea of wooden weapons until you saw the kind of wood that grew around here.'
Reminds me of a conversation I was in where a guy couldn't figure out why West Africans stuck with ebony for warclub/mace manufacture when metal was available and made some pretty ignorant assertions about how intelligent their weaponsmiths must have been. It's ebony, my guy. It's so dense it can blunt a modern industrial saw. Even if you're wearing a metal helmet it's still likely to do a number on you.
I like the look of the ones with sawfish teeth in them.
Maces are legit one of the most forgiving weapon shape for durability ever. Metatron swung at a replica Roman helmet with a bronze mace and a brass one and they performed about the same and the brass barely suffered any damage despite brass being quite a bit softer than bronze .
@@KartarNighthawk Yeah, that thing is about blunt damage. Metal does not more blunt damage but can rust (I heard those islands are fairly wet and there is a lot of salt in the air too I guess) and it's harder to form a good quality lump then to just take the wood that is already there.
For unarmored combat, really hard wood is the best. One good hit in the ribs will take you out as efficiently as a good damaszene steel sword slash for a hundredth of the price.
@@steemlenn8797 Even when armour is involved, a sufficiently heavy and dense hardwood can still make for a viable weapon. Clubs made from ironwoods, or things like ebony or African blackwood should still do a lot of damage when swung against a metal helmet.
Musashi's most famous encounter took place in 1612, against his arch rival Sasaki Kojirō, a swordsman whose skill was reported to be equal to his own. The contest took place on a small island off the coast of Japan. While being rowed out to the dueling site, Musashi fashioned a wooden sword out of an oar.
Sasaki also used a longer sword, so Musashi needed more reach.
I don't really believe that story. It's very popular, but I think that most of what is told about Musashi is on the level of Robin Hood or King Arthur, i.e. a lot of it is an exaggerated myth.
Hi Matt, part-maori bloke here. When I was a child in the 70's, one of our games was toe-toe fighting. We learned that from the older kids. Unbroken and fairly short line from people like my grandfathers friend.
He was about 30 years older than my grandfather, so he would have been born in 1870 or so. Which meant HIS grandfather would have taken part in actual spear fighting per-colonial times, which was 1840. So I am less than five generations from men who were taught to fight for their lives with spears.
So, with the vested authority that gives me I just want to say you were standing WAY WAY WAY too static.
"Slow feet, wet skin".
The leaf shape was quite popular for clubs in South America as well. Considering how effective it is, it would be expected to show up often around the world.
My thought turned to the macuahuitl Aztec obsidian axe-club which was also used for incapacitating (using the broad side) in order to gain captives.
Y'know, despite being a "primitive" bit of wood, that thing is gorgeous and actually has quite sophisticated options.
It's like a mishmash of a longsword, an axe, a club, a spear, a quarterstaff. It's got a bit of everything.
multiclass weapon
I can't help but compare this to a Māori taiaha. The most obvious difference is the taiaha has a stone "pommel" where these are all wood. Another notable difference is the taiaha has a longer flared section.
But otherwise they are like variations on a theme. Pretty cool.
The stone tongue is only found in very modern tourist pieces, the actual weapon versions are just one piece of wood. The other weapon it's similar to (even closer actually) is the pouwhenua, which ends in a point rather than a head and tongue. The only real difference is the proportions.
No, taiaha never had stone.
Solomon Islands in Melanesia and taiaha (Aotearoa) in Polynesia. Most likely some crossover in the ancient past.
"It's an amazingly fun piece of wood!"
~Matt Easton, 2023
Lovely piece. Clubs are such a fascinating category of weapons, they cover the entire gamut from rude items of convenience, to master craft weapons of war.
"It really assists smashing that massive swollen tip into whatever you want to smash it into."
- Matt Easton, 2023
"You might slide the hand up and down..."
"This is a really really pleasing piece of wood"
- Matt Easton, 2023
While I'm a black and blade smith I really think that that is the most beautiful piece that you've brought on the show. In different angles the light shows some nice figure/curl on the hitting end. And I also think it was carved with a combination of dryed coral, shell/maybe and leather backed with sand.
it's always a pleasure to listen to your explanations and considerations, no matter the subject you always find interesting connections and historical information that always enrich the story!
True...Matt,shad,skall. Not just weapon nerds like us but also memelords of immense power.
My grandpa was in the 2nd Marines in WW2. I know he was in the Solomon Islands specifically, as well as a few others like tarawa, tinian. He passed in 1984 and for many years my aunt had a display setup in her house that included the folded flag, his K-bar, his dress hat and his medals. There was also a couple things I never understood the importance or origin of… there were two “clubs” that look ALOT like what you’re holding in this video! Only much shorter and with a carved pommel. The spades were wider too.. I seriously doubt he got them at the gift shop. In the middle of ww2.
This is so awesome I’ll be calling my aunt immediately. If I didn’t understand the origin of them I’m sure she has no idea. Thank you!!!
I'm reminded of that scene in A Bridge Too Far when Robert Redford leads a river crossing by boat - and out of desperation the soldiers are encouraged to use their rifle butts to row with.
Those notches near the pointy end may indicate where the wrapping started, and maybe it went all the way to where the spine starts. Maybe that's why the spine only goes as far as it does from the top of the "blade".
That war club is likely to be Koa, Kukui, or a subspecies of one of the two. There are actually only so many hardwoods available in the Pacific, and Koa and Kukui seem to be the only ones really suitable for weapons- Islanders prefer Koa if they can get it due to its density. The word Koa even means "Warrior" in many Polynesian dialects.
It looks like a nice chunk of what is called "queen ebony" in Australia and is one of the most expensive woods in the world.
@zacktoby several Pacific hardwoods are incredible- beautiful and unbelievably dense.
@@tmmccormick86 Sometimes the Solomon Islanders visit and bring along some of their Queen Ebony to sell at the local markets. I have turned several police batons on my wood lathe. I understand that the wood dust is very nasty stuff to breathe in, but then most wood dust can be dangerous. Wish I could get more but supply is very limited.
I live in the Solomon’s. Can’t be Koa, that’s endemic to Hawaii. I have a queen ebony club, it’s so heavy it cannot be a practical two handed stroking weapon, police club possibly. I think it’s Causarina equisetifolia, commonly used in the pacific for clubs, and superior to hickory for the purposes
@aquariumengineer thanks for the knowledge drop! I was of the impression that Koa could be found on other archipelagos than just Hawaii- but it is absolutely EVERYEWHERE in Hawaii.
Island chief: Why'd you leave this line up the middle?
Carver: Because I can.
That line is an illustration of how human beings do extraordinary things, regardless of the tools.
It is very similar to a Maori taiaha in its design(and I am sure of numerous other warclubs I am not aware of)! The sharp end is used to dispatch the wounded enemy once they are on ground. In different cultures different decoarations ornate the sharp end, I believe its a face sticking out its tounge for the taiaha. These ornaments have deeper/religious meanings in the Oceanian cultures as these weapons are often family heirlooms and are believed to hold the souls of ancestors. These are weapons of high value for a family and are considered as more than weapon. If you are interested to see how they are used there are nuemrous New Zealand programs on youtube showing Maori people practicing their ancient martial arts, similar to their version of HEMA. I even saw a game show once in which contesters compete in completing martial arts feats like spliting coconuts and deflecting spears with different war clubs, its really fun to watch!
It sort of made me think of a Taiaha as well because the way that it's built it seems as if it would have been used in a very similar way or it most likely would have been used in the same way.
Even closer to a Maori Pouwhenua, which is perhaps an even older weapon than the Taiaha.
^ This is on point. i was training in iai-do and driving tour coaches in New Zealand so got to spend time with a lot of Maori Martial Art groups - they did displays with Taiaha mostly and how similar some of the techniques were to Sword (cut angles) and Naginata base stab to dispatch the opponent.
On island-hopping: A lot of the islands were populated so far ago (about 12700 years ago) when the sealevel was 120m lower and what is now seafloor was dry land. A LOT of the Solomons were colonised by walking on dry land, a long long time ago. Note that the wood may be banned from trade due to conservation efforts, and also genuine antiques may have an export ban, so that one you pick up in a junk shop in some solomons backwater village, may cost you a stay in prison if you do not do your googling!
A 'greenland paddle' has a very similar shape and cross section, but is longer and double ended for use on both sides of a kayak. I made one and experienced what others have reported, that it drives a kayak at a cruising speed as high as a short/wide 'shovel' ended paddle. It favours a higher cadence of paddling and has a softer catch at the start of the stroke, both of which reduce fatigue. It does not provide as much instant acceleration as the shovel type which is going to be better suited to springing between eddies in whitewater kayaking. Over distances, between islands for example, long and narrow single ended paddles might have been a good design for teams of voyagers in deeper sided catamarans that would restrict the use of a double ended paddle. So, in terms of geometry at the flat end, this could actually be a great paddle rather than representing a compromise. Length, geometry of the grip and material selection (heavier perhaps) might favour use as a weapon, but the 'business end' would perhaps have been just as good for stirring brine as for muddling brains!
I've noticed when approaching beavers in a river that they can hear the paddle strokes, and tend to disappear. Only once after dark did I get within reaching distance when paddling very quietly. (and copped loudest tail-slap ever). I wonder if to a group of hunters, this design would be superior because it would be quieter with decreased splash on entry/exit of the water, allowing a hunter better chances to approach javelin range etc.
*not that Soloman island hunters would be tracking beavers, but same idea might apply.
Ideal for canoe based raiding.
@@KF1 I've read that the quietness of the Greenland paddle design is indeed a factor in it's use, when hunting from kayaks.
I thought that as well. I only learned rowing as a hobby for a short time but even the angle at which you hold the oars really makes a difference in fatigue.
Love the new video! This is definitely the sort of content “Obscure Weapons” needs!!!
Always love to see Matt demo 'ethnographic' weapons!
Musashi's boat-oar bokken.
Yeah we made this analogy at class.
I would love to see some test video of this thing in action. Really nice video and find, Matt!
A battle paddle... 🤔 I wonder if that's where Dr. Suess got the inspiration?...
😆
At the time of initial migration to the Solomon's the various evidence demonstrates that there was still a huge ice cap in the Northern Hemisphere. When I studied Pacific Pre-history, our prof said that the effect of the lowered sea level was such that the biggest ocean gap between Vietnam and Australia was no bigger than 10km. Pretty amazing - so the movement of Papuans to the Soloman's would have been fairly easy. I've been to the Sollies a few times and in places like Vilu village the elders will demonstrate weapons like these. Much fun. Love your channel.
Beautiful piece of work. By the looks and your description, it's likely made of Macassar Ebony or Malaysian Blackwood. Thank you for sharing it with us. Cheers!
Reminds me of musashi's duel against the devil of the west? I think, where he carved his oar into a club and won against the katana. Not that I'd wanna try that against a nodachi or katana, but definitely not against a nodachi or naginata.
In regards to the covering, if the "grip" was only at the bottom, it could be that the bottom hand is on the grip and the top hand is sliding on the smooth shaft to change positions. Might be best of both worlds.
The opening .... hahahaha, great!
Very elegant weapon.
I think when looking at weapons like these that maybe the average height of the people who created / wielded them should be considered. Solomon Island men average approx 5 foot 4 inches or 1.62cm. In pre European history they may have been shorter due to them having no access to high protein food sources like cow or goats milk etc. This club looks like it's 110 to 120 cm in length or three quarters the height of the guy who would be using it which might make a difference to technique.
Solomon Islanders were extremely well built, and had access to seafood based protein, pigs and other bird life. The coastal tribes were big. Read The White Headhunter, true story of Jack Renton.
He said just over 130 cm near the start of vid
That "Really feels like I should hit something with it" feeling is so hard to capture. I don't get that with good swords, but I do with combat focused axes. EG I have a "viking era" war axe, single handed, not a dane axe, but you pick it up, and it's like it wants you to hit something with it.
Yeah, Berserkers were probably just a byproduct of your axe REALLY wanting you to hit someone with it. Maybe it's a good thing that weapons today aren't made quite like they used to 😅
@@raics101 that makes me wonder if the government should stop banning weapons except for the intuitive ones that really feel like they want to be used. Rapier, fine. Halberd, fine. Enfield, fine. Solomon Island club, no, banned. Simple viking axe, banned.
I felt that way when holding a reinactors North American ball end warclub in Virginia. It felt comfortable to carry and smooth to swing.
Unfortunately, the replica I later bought over the web looks great, but is too long and heavy to feel quite right. Don’t overdo the size with clubs!
paddle/ oar like wooden weapons were even used in societies where iron works exist eg: Okinawa Japan
Thank you Matt. I'm currently making some wooden hitty things, so perfect timing.
If I were making this and using a cord wrap grip, I'd put those little notches at the "pommel" end to prevent the cord slipping down.
That really is a nice piece and interesting information about it. I have done some wood carving and can tell that making those ridges requires some skill even with metal tools and one small slip can ruin the work. That lets me appreciate the craftmanship even more.
Nothing beats good ol' fashioned blunt force trauma. 😂 shillelagh anybody? 🇮🇪☘
I bet Matt would love the walking stick I'm working on.
It's modeled after a long sword, complete with hand guard and pommel, made from really thick hot glue.
Fun fact: if you lay it on thick enough, and melt it so it's on piece, you can break bones with hot glue. A crackhead trespassing found that out the hard way!
It just takes forever to get the glue into the shape you want...
hot glue crossguard? hot.... glue.... crossguard?
Very interesting stick. It has nice features, that makes it a versatile weapon and it was designed and made with purpose, looks simple but the maker knew, what he did. And that's the essence of good design.
I will take this as the Eiku vidoe i requested. The Eiku is more of a paddle but very similar in use i am sure.
You could also use the pointed end after knocking someone down to finish them with a thrust down.
I love the elegance and simplicity of this kind of weapon.
I’d say this is similar, albeit different in many ways to an Eku. The Eku is more of a long reach weapon whereas this was more for power. But yeah definitely similar
5:07 "It's a very very pleasing piece of wood." 😂😂😂 Do tell....
Don't you dare apologize for such a genius opening!
Never saw it, there was an add...
Great video and beautiful club!! Weapons like this are instinctive and brutal. The attention to detail and utilitarian nature are incredible and the density of the wood is amazing. I've handled artifact hunting boomerangs that felt like they were petrified or made from stone they were so weighty, rigid and hard. Some of the hardwoods in Australia approach 1.30 specific gravity I have read.
It's good to hear that Matt's wooden piece pleased his students.
Honestly people would probably hate me for suggesting it but that seems like a really good candidate for polypropylene cold steel reproduction
They do have bokkens of the sort. Might be cool.
That Solomon Islands Paddle War Club sure is an obscure weapon
Bonk! That is obviously the no horny stick and you made it horny. Go to horny jail.
Unless you live in the Solomons !
Especially given the seafaring culture around it, the idea that the weapon evolved from an oar doesn't seem like that far of a stretch to me. After all, the Okinawan eku/eiku is as close to an oar as weapons get (Miyamoto Musashi's bokken carved from an oar notwithstanding).
It looks really fun to swing, and I wish I had one!
It warms my heart that the peoples of the south Pacific celebrated that most particular of Holidays, Whacking Day
Wow that’s an awesome piece, Matt. The Solomon Islands have some of the coolest pieces I’ve seen.
That has to be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen holy crap
Thank you for posting
I always enjoy your videos, Matt, and I love the attention you pay to what the weapon tells you. The following is in no way a negative criticism of your awesome work. I feel obliged to point out, however, that weapons like this belong to living cultures, and there are living people who know the answers to many of the speculative questions that you raise because of your thoughtful consideration of the objects. I'm not one of those people but I suspect that there are Solomon Islanders with more knowledge regarding this weapon than anyone truly knows about a medieval European sword.
Matt, could you please talk about the arsenal of original weapons that are contained within the old royal Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia. Also, the old town building known as the Magazine (built in 1715) has been restored to its former glory, and is also once again filled with all sorts of arms, including several antique swords, muskets, pistols, spontoons, etc. I think you would just go crazy if you saw it! Frankly, you should just take a trip here to the US, and do a video-tour, similar to what Dracheneiffel(or however you spell it) did at the USS Constitution not long ago! PLEASE! Thank you!😁
Mr. Easton is european! For us europeans this is not so uncommon. If you for example visit Baldern Castle in Germany, the helmets and armours could have been part of 16th/ 17th century Arsenal.
@@brittakriep2938 , I suppose you're probably right! I'm a big fan of the arsenal at Graz in particular. It's just that, I'm American, and I didn't even know about all of these antique weapons at the Governor's Palace dating from around 1750, like hundreds of them, until yesterday! They actually just redesigned the interior to conform to some of the arsenals seen in manner houses and palaces in England. If you're into weapons of that period, you should look it up! There are many photos of both the Governor's Palace and the Magazine online.
@@andreweden9405 : Complete Arsenals are in my homeregion, southwest Germany, nearly no more existing, only some noblemen or museums have collections which contain relicts of former Arsenals. The reason: Southwest Germany, in HRE era , Reichskreis ( Imperial District) Schwaben, was divided into 100 (!) Independent states ( socalled Reichsstände) , and a large number of small territories owned by Imperial Knights. Every of this 100 states had its own state Arsenal, but: Most of the , Armies ' consisted only of rather few men, often only a policeforce or Bodyguards for the rulers. When in 1803 to 1806 Napoleon formed Kingdom of Württemberg and Great Duchy of Baden by giving this small territories of Noble or Spiritual Lords, and the , Imperial Towns' etc. to the noted rulers. So württembergian and badish officials inspected and collected the weapons owned by this small states, also in some nonimperial towns small Arsenals existed. This weapons had been used as First Equipment for forming new Regiments from new territories. Napoleon allways wanted new troops from Baden and Württemberg, so the weapons from the small , No more existing states had been lost or destroyed on campaign rather fast, very few survived.
For the case, you visit german state Baden-Württemberg, visit the historic weapons collections of Sigmaringen palace, or the castles Baldern and Neuenstein. Also intressting is the Militärgeschichtliches Museum ( Museum of military history) in Rastatt, there are lots of weapons from 15th to 1918.
Most interesting "STICK" I've ever seen, I must say, very cool!! Thanks for sharing Matt great choice!
It's a beautiful and deadly peace of art. So elegant, yet so versatile...just fantastic.
lovely video Matt, very neat wooden beating stick.
This is perhaps the most unifying, primally male subject in the world. Every man can appreciate a good stick.
Impressive piece of wood. Loved the perspective, when you held it like a longsword. The end, or rather the front facing the opponent is intimidating , to say the least...
Cheers, Bunti
It reminds me, as a student of Asian martial arts, of the Okinawan Eku, and while a bit differently shaped I suspect the use would be very much the same.
Great content as always 👏
Oh man… this has been a long time coming! Some very patient viewers are no doubt relieved ;-)
Could the “barbs” near the rear point be to retain the woven cover mentioned later?
Yes I guess that's possible and would make sense.
Never seen one of those. Nice stick! I learned something today.
They do still make them, mostly for tourists, but thy are still real, well made weapons. I work in the Solomons and I the easiest type of club to find is the Supa, or Suba (from Malaita province, though others types aren't particularly rare), Spears from Isabelle Province are very unique too. Lots of cool material culture down in Melanesia!
There is a very very old legend in India of a warrior who used a club of the same design. Of note, his was copper and at a time when metal weapons were rare. He was said to be quite effective.
Never have I seen better video or presentation on a stick 👌
Shad should be pleased
Always great 😃👍🏻 and it's been like that for years. Great job brother.
Too cool. Reminds me of native war clubs in the Americas. Also made me think of that duel Miyamoto Musashi fought with a boat oar that he carved into a “sword”. If one grew up training with that weapon, formidable.
That opening is pure gold.
In SE Alaska the Tlingit war clubs more likely evolved from (or just were) fish smacking clubs. Just the thing for whacking a two-hundred pound halibut or your neighbor's noggin. This avenue might be investigated.
For anyone reading, you pronounce Tlingit as "Klingkit". They are also in Northern BC and southern Yukon. Nice people.
Been having a go at making a couple of patu ( Maori hand club) all I've got is a few hand tools and a sharp peace of hacksaw blade to do the carving I'm slowly getting better.ill have another go when I find another good peace of wood to use ,
I had a go at sharpening a peace of hundred year old wood I got from a old fence post , the type of wood is called puriri , it's really hard when old it's impossible to hammer a nail into a hundred year old fence posts made of the stuff and when I sharpened it I was amazed how sharp I could get it and how hard the edge was it blew my mind you could cut meat with it .
I got to handle a real shillelagh, a family heirloom. That thing was deadly feeling. You could just sense all the skulls it had cracked.
Never heard of this. Thank you for sharing. I'd wager you just increased the value of these things with your video.
This thing seems like it could have quite easily been used in a very similar way to a Maori Tiaha.
It looks nearly exactly like our powhenua in dimensions
@@tanegurnick5071 Yeah, pouwhenua usually have a narrower handle section, and a flatter blade, but other than that it's the same thing. Maybe a little shorter.
Nice video, very nice club. 👍👍👍
5:09 “It is a very very pleasing piece of wood.”
Mat 2023: Very pleasing peace of wood. 😊
The universal human urge to finely craft a girthy wooden stick for thwacking, poking and or walking.
You might already know that in New Zealand we call that weapon a "pou whenua" is also the predecessor of the modern "taiaha".
The shorter woven grip might just be for one hand, allowing the other hand to move up or down the shaft. Best of both worlds.
And those little notches towards the handle end are probably to keep the weapon from sliding out of the woven grip.
Well *I* cracked up at that opening!😆
Another great video for the records, Matt. I found it funny how the caveman in your HEMA class came out as soon as they held a nicely balanced club 🤣. Cheers!
I love you for using the metric system.
In my youth, I was told on certain occasions, that I too possessed a pleasing piece of wood.
when i was in Vanuatu, i was speaking with one of the natives doing tourist photos. Their clubs similarly have a point at the end but the orther end is more pointed mace like. They have different types for people and other for killing pigs.
Would absolutely recommend watching videos of Maori Taiaha exhibitions. Very similar to that specific war club and their technique is very distinctive.
Watchin’ Matt Easton? That’s a paddlin’.
Ah yes, the Pacific Shilelagh. Beautiful beatsticks they are.
Pleased to see the appreciation for something as simple as that carved line. As somebody that carves spoons stuff like that is really hard
Kinda reminds of a Taiaha, NZ not that far away from the Solomon Islands,
would be interesting to see a side by side comparison.
That’s sick!
It is sort of interesting - if perhaps unsurprising - how universally ceremonially important clubs and maces are. After all what is a royal scepter or a judges gavel if not a ceremonial club?
The very first thing I thought when I saw that spike on the butt end was poleaxe. Beautiful object!
Its a pretty fascinating weapon- the tribes in oceania could be pretty brutal though- the maori genocided and sold off several tribes which was documented by the british.
I loved that the wakowski brothers dared to show it in one of their movies, even if brief.
There were also bit of cannibalism going on even the maoris i think sometimes munched their victims. Then as some group got more modern weaponry they went on rampage, and it was the other maoris i think that asked british crown for aid.
"Going to war in the Solomon Islands? That's a paddlin'!"
Matt has a mighty fighting stick. Shad will be pleased
I would certainly love one these! Though being a cheapo like myself I'd probably want one made outa polypropylene... could be real cool and durable as can be like that....
"It is a very very pleasing piece of wood"
That looks so cool. Aside from practicality, I'd love to have one of those. Or 5 so I can test one or two of them XD
The Maori Taiaha is a great example of this taken to a couple of extremes. It's less oar like, while still clearly being related, and because it became a status symbol, so very ornate a lot of the time