U'u
| U'u | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Club |
| Designations: | U'u, Akau Too |
| Use: | Weapon, professional weapon |
| Region of origin / author: |
Marquesas Islands, ethnic groups of the Marquesas Islands |
| Distribution: | Marquesas Islands |
| Overall length: | about 150 cm |
| Handle: | Wood |
| Lists on the subject | |
The U'u war club ( ESC Handy also uses the name akau too ) is the characteristic weapon of the warriors of the Marquesas islands. Although the U'u is referred to as a “ceremonial weapon” in some publications, it was actually both a weapon of war and a status symbol of the warrior caste ( toa ) , as traces of use on numerous museum specimens show .
description
Adam Johann von Krusenstern , an early visitor to the Marquesas at the beginning of the 19th century, describes the U'u piston club very generally as follows:
"A mace, about 5 'long, very massive, weighing no less than 10 pounds, with a human head carved on one end."
The appearance of the finely polished clubs follows a predetermined pattern, but each weapon is individualized because it was specially made for the wearer. The length was based on the body measurements of the warrior, it reached from the floor to the armpit. The patterns of carving are also specific to each weapon, although they follow a uniform scheme.
The upper end of the club bears a massive Janus head , the face of which is the same on both sides. He represents the mythical ancestor or ancestors whose spiritual power ( mana ) cares for the well-being of the clan. The facial features are dominated by the oversized, plate-shaped main eyes, the pupils of which are formed as raised carved heads. The Polynesians refer to them as the " Tiki of the Eye" and believe that the soul is reflected in them. The lash line that radiates around the pupils has its counterpart in the warrior's eye tattoos. In the art of tattooing, the motif is called "Ipu eyes".
The nasal ridge is only indicated and ends in the nasal head. The mouth area is not worked out. The shoulder pegs, on which the little nose rests, protrude below the eyes on both sides. Underneath are two decorative bands (arm plates and base band) with complicated patterns that frame the slightly smaller lower eyes, shaped like a glasses frame. The head merges harmoniously into the long, round shaft, which ends at the lower end with an undecorated knob. In a few museum specimens, the braid made of plant fibers is still preserved on the handle, into which small, protruding tufts of animal or human hair are sometimes woven.
Manufacturing
The material used for the U'u is ironwood ( Metrosideros ), which is widespread in the Marquesas , and occasionally the wood of the casuarina ( Casuarina equisetifolia ). Metrosideros forests grow in the inaccessible mountain regions of the islands, at altitudes over 600 m. The medium-sized trees provide a dense, dark brown wood of extraordinary hardness and strength, which the natives processed for numerous devices of daily use (paddles, Dexel handles) and also weapons. Shark teeth or sharp fragments of obsidian were used as tools in pre-European times . The finished clubs were buried in a taro field to darken them , giving them their characteristic deep black color. A subsequent polishing with coconut oil completed the work.
application
The striking weapon was wielded in such a way that the narrow side with the protruding shoulder pin or the sharp edge of the face smashed the skull of the enemy. The club could also be thrown so that the saddle-shaped depression of the Janus head hit the back of the enemy. The club was also used for human sacrifices in the marae .
If you ignore the decorations, it stands to reason that the shape of the U'u club was inspired by a paddle. Indeed, there were long oar clubs called parahua on the Marquesas , which were used in naval combat. Sometimes they too were decorated with incised faces. The U'u club, on the other hand, was only used in duels on land. With the introduction of European firearms in the middle of the 19th century, the weapon lost its importance.
Parallels
Weapons decorated with faces or heads are known from numerous Polynesian cultures, for example the Ua sticks from Easter Island (see Woodcarving Art of Easter Island → Ua), the Taiaha clubs of the Maori or the throwing clubs of the Fiji Islands.
The name U'u could be derived from the Samoan ulu , which means "head of an animal or human".
Collection copies
The Marquesas' striking weapons were coveted collectibles among early European visitors to the Marquesas. Hence it is that over 200 specimens are still preserved in the world's ethnographic museums. The most beautiful pieces come from the early 19th century. In Germany, Uu-Keulen u. a. to be found in the collections of the Überseemuseum Bremen, the Ethnological Museum Berlin-Dahlem and the Völkerkundemuseum Leipzig .
Photo gallery
U'u blow head.
U'u War Club, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh .
Tribal leader with his U'u.
Nuku Hiva's tattooed warrior with his U'u.
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Individual evidence
- ^ ES Craighill Handy: The Native Culture in the Marquesas , Bernice P. Bishop bulletin 9, Honolulu 1923, p. 129
- ↑ Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern: Trip around the world in 1803, 1804, 1805 and 1806 on the orders of His Imperial Majesty Alexander the First on the ships Nadezhda and Neva under the command of the captain of the Imperial Navy IF v. Krusenstern, St. Petersburg 1811, p. 232
- ^ A b Anthony JP Meyer: Oceanic Art, Koenemann Verlagsgesellschaft Köln, 1995
- ↑ Picture and description in the Pitt Rivers Museum (English, accessed on November 12, 2009)
- ^ A b c Karl von den Steinen: The Marquesans and their art, Volume 2: Plastik, Dietrich Reimer Berlin, 1928
- ^ Karl von den Steinen: The Marquesans and their art, Volume 1: Tatauierung, Dietrich Reimer Berlin, 1928, p. 175
literature
- George Cameron Stone , Donald J. LaRocca, A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times , Courier Dover Publications, 1999, ISBN 978-0-486-40726-5
- Anne D'Alleva, Perspectives Arts of the Pacific islands , HN Abrams, 1998, ISBN 978-0-8109-2722-3
- Hope B. Werness, The Continuum Encyclopedia of Native Art: Worldview, Symbolism, and Culture in Africa, Oceania, and North America , Verlag Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003, page 314, ISBN 978-0-8264-1465-6
