U'u

The U'u is a war club of the Marquesas Islands.

U'u of the Marquesas.

Uses in Marquesas

Cut from iron wood,[1] its shape and large size distinguishes it from other Pacific gunstocks. It was reserved for a caste of warriors who were assisting allied tribes.[2] The club should at least reach its possessor's armpits. The striking head, although apparently identical, was richly carved, and it is an artistic work with drawings representing lizards, human figures, or tattoo patterns.[3] U'u’s were left in a taro field, where they turned black, then coated with coconut oil.[4]

  • U'u's striking head.
    U'u's striking head.
  • U'u war club, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.
    U'u war club, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.
  • Tribe chief with a U'u.
    Tribe chief with a U'u.
  • Nuku Hiva warrior with tattoo and his U'u.
    Nuku Hiva warrior with tattoo and his U'u.
  • U'u
    U'u

References
  1. Eric Kjellgren, Carol S. Ivory, Adorning the World: Art of the Marquesas Islands, p.85
  2. Anthony JP Meyer, Art océanien, Könemann, 1995, p.506
  3. Hope B. Werness, Continuum Encyclopedia of Native Art: Worldview, Symbolism, and Culture, p. 314
  4. Anthony JP Meyer, Art océanien, Könemann, 1995, p. 506

Bibliography
  • John Charles Edler, Terence Barrow, Art of Polynesia, Hemmeter Publishing Corporation, 1990.
  • Anthony JP Meyer, Art océanien, Könemann, 1995.


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