Bird head club "porowa ra maru"

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Description

wood, cord material, tip dam., handwritten collection no. “13071”

The distinctively shaped “‘porowa ra maru” were prestigious objects created for use by chiefs. The clubs symbolized wealth and high rank.

The thin, delicate tips of the beaks are extremely fragile and would have broken easily if the clubs were used in combat. It is therefore likely that they were primarily used for ceremonial purposes.

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Comparing literature

Hooper, Steven (ed.), Power and Prestige. The Art of Clubs in Oceania, Exhibition catalogue, Venice 2021, p. 218, ill. 78 Rossi, Milène C., Blut, Prunk, Ritual, Keulen und ihre Funktion in den Gesellschaften Ozeaniens, Wien 2015, p. 257, ill. 121

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