Aboriginal Wooden Weapons of Australia. 45 



CLUBS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENTS. 



The order of arrangement of the following weapons shows the 

 line of development by which the more advanced may have been 

 produced from those of primitive form. 



Straight Hand Clubs. — The simplest form of these weap- 

 ons is the straight, heavy pole of hard wood, uniform in girth 

 through most of its length, but tapering abruptlj- at each end, and 

 often grooved at one extremity to allow a good purchase to the 

 hands. This somewhat cumbersome weapon could only be used 

 at close quarters and was never thrown. A good specimen is shown 

 in Plate III, No. 7443. These weapons are more or less cjdindri- 

 cal in form, and their weight and size rendered the use of two 

 hands necessar}- to wield them. To deliver a blow the club was 

 grasped by both hands at one end, and swung forward from over 

 the head. In guarding, the adversar}' grasped his weapon with a 

 hand at each end, holding it either horizontally above the head, or 

 vertically to left or right to protect the part attacked. The two- 

 handed club was also used by the "gins" who stood ready to assist 

 or rescue in the civil combats already described. 



The Waddy is a common form of hand club for use with one 

 hand only. It is much shorter than the above form and possesses 

 a well developed head, more or less diamond-shaped, which is 

 generall}' decorated with the usual incisions. The wadd)\was 

 frequently chosen together with the mulga shield in the single en- 

 counters, when the head was the onlj' permissible object of attack. 

 Although this club was often thrown, its true place was among the 

 hand clubs. An endless variet}' of form is found among these 

 weapons, often due to the natural shape of the wood from which 

 they are made. Some of the lighter are pointed at the end in 

 order to turn over in flight and pierce the body of the enem}- 

 when thrown at close range. Specimens in this colledlion can be 

 seen in cases 16 and 17. 



A tendency to lighten the two-handed club by flattening it — a 

 device which gave a more wieldy and at the same time a more 

 effecftive weapon, is seen in No. 8761, Plate III. This formidable 

 paddle-shaped weapon is a splendid example of Australian work- 

 manship. It is fashioned from dark close-grained wood, probably 

 Erythrophleuin laboncheria, and bears a pattern in white painted 



[185] 



