Linton — The Marquesas Islands 391 



to a great distance. At certain distances from their points they are pierced 

 with holes ah around, in order that they may break off, with their own weight, on 

 entering the body, and thus be more difificult to extract." 



Desgraz (15, pp. 282-3) mentions a toothed javelin intended to break off 

 in the wound, but the reference is obscure. 



There are a few early mentions of lances of toa wood used in hand-to- 

 hand fighting, but none of these are explicit enough to merit quotation. Fleurieu 

 {2T,, p. 132) says that these lances were g to 1 1 feet long, Porter (49, p. 

 86), that they were 14 feet long. Some of these weapons are said to have been 

 toothed, others plain. A curious form of lance, described by a native informant. 



Figure; 10. — Outline of Marquesan spear. — Drawn by Willowdean C. Handy. 



had upon one side three long barbs, cut in one piece with the shaft, which were 

 deeply notched at the base. When an antagonist had been stabbed, the foremost 

 barb would be broken off by a quick twist and left in the wound while the spear, 

 when withdrawn, would still serve for a second and third thrust. 



Edge Partington (20, First series, Plate 43) figures two Marquesan spears 

 of unusual form. In these weapons the shaft is made of "a hard red wood" 

 and the heads of a "dark hard wood." The dark wood is almost certainly toa. 



The shaft of the spear thickens toward the head. The point appears from the drawing 

 to be inserted in a hole in the end of the shaft. There are no indications of lashings or other 

 attachments. The points are rather slender in proportion to the shaft, and are carved with 

 a series of low barbs. In one example the barbs alternate on opposite sides, in the other they 

 are placed in pairs. 



Spears with detachable heads, and many pointed spears appear to have 

 been used primarily in fishing. (See p. 397.) 



CLUBS 



Two varieties of club were used in the Marquesas, one of which, the nu 

 (PI. Lxix, D) is a fairly common object in collections. The mi, which have 

 frequently been figured and described, show great uniformity in shape and 

 decoration and only minor diff'erences in size and weight. An average specimen 

 has a length of 4 feet, 6 inches with a head 18 inches long. 



The handle of the club is round or oval in cross section, with a diameter of about il/4 

 inches and a slight lateral flare at the butt. At its upper end the handle gradually flattens and 

 expands laterally to form a peculiarly shaped head of two distinct parts. The lower part is 

 oval in cross section, with sharp edges ; at the outer end the head thickens abruptly, having 

 a thickness of 3J/^ inches at the tip. Near the top of the sharp edged part there are two 

 lateral knobs, each diamond shaped in cross section, with a flat end. The heads of clubs of this 



Li3t] 



