A Fiji small pole club bowai

A Fiji small pole club bowai
Melanesia
of tapered form with a slightly domed top and carved wide bands of zig-zag and linear decoration,
81.5cm long.

Provenance
The van Raalte Collection, UK.

Clunie states that these small truncheons were used in close combat and to maintain order in chiefly households. They were commonly used by the chiefs to beat their wives and concubines when they became flirtatious or unruly.