MASSIM, NEW GUINEA, SWORD CLUB

27 7/8’ length carved of black hardwood. Sword form with a thickened back stepped to the blade. Single hand grip with banded pommel and a scrolling guard. Well decorated throughout in typical motifs of lozenge form scrolls, and curvilinear forms. The relief with original lime infill, virtually complete one side. The other mostly complete along the back and noticeably darker, evidently indicating that it was displayed for a long period with the less preserved side out and the other protected. The carving quite crisp throughout and well-executed. The Massim occupy the Milne Bay as well as the adjacent Trobriand Islands. According to Britannica (encyclopedia), warfare was common and the Massim practiced cannibalism. It is estimated that “as many as 15 percent of male lives were lost in warfare”. This club dates to the first half of the 20th century, the period of those practices.