Priest's or Chief's Club, Fiji Islands

Priest's or Chief's Club, Fiji Islands
gugu or siriti
length 44in (111.8cm)

Provenance
Taylor A. Dale, Santa Fe
Richard I.M. Kelton Collection, Marina del Rey, California, acquired from the above 10 January 1989

Clunie notes, "the head of the siriti or gugu incorporated a stylised design of the fish from which is name is drawn." (Clunie, Furgus, Yalo i Viti - Shades of Viti: A Fijian Museum Catalogue, Fiji Museum, 1986, p. 184

Cf. Ibid, fig. 185

Superbly carved in hard wood, most likely without the use of metal tools, the cylindrical shaft with a grip enhanced with incised zigzag design, gradually curving and becoming a broad, flat head, intricately carved throughout with three raised circular points, a central raised L-shaped platform divided into rectangular segments, each with varying zigzag and cross-hatched designs, all among a checkerboard background; exceptional dark reddish-brown patina with wear indicative of significant age and use.