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1 of 253523 objects
Long club (hoeroa) c.1860
Whalebone | 145.0 x 4.5 x 9.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 69981
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A long club (hoeroa) of whalebone, slightly curved and decorated with plain spirals at the proximal end and at the mid blade, with two small holes.
Attributed to the Northland region of New Zealand, 1860, by Dorota Starzecka of the British Museum.
Most Māori two-handed clubs were made of wood, but the hoeroa was always made from whalebone. Its precise function remains unclear, and it may have been used as a close-quarters staff weapon deployed with sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts.Provenance
Loaned by the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King George V and Queen Mary) to the British Museum in 1902. The royal couple had visited New Zealand the previous year. RA Loughnan, who wrote the official account of the tour, described how 'an ancient Chief, with orthodox and plentiful tattoo...advanced bearing a priceless polished two-handed whalebone sword (hoeroa), gave the Duke the magnificent bow of hospitality, together with the broad smile of kindness, and deposited the weapon with great reverence in his hands'. The whalebone club described by Loughnan may be this one, or RCIN 69982.
The presentation of this whalebone club is visible in a photograph in the Ophir scrapbook for Australia, New Zealand, et al. in the Royal Archives (RA F&V/VISOV/EMPIRE/1901).
This may be the 'paddle, formed of polished whalebone' exhibited at the Imperial Institute, London, in 1902: ‘Gifts & Addresses received by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall & York during their visit to The King’s Dominions beyond the seas, 1901’ (exhib. cat. no. 364).
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Medium and techniques
Whalebone
Measurements
145.0 x 4.5 x 9.0 cm (whole object)
Category
Bibliographic reference(s)
The Maori Collections at the British Museum / by Dorota C. Starzecka, Roger Neich & Mick Pendergrast (2010) p.80
Alternative title(s)
Hoeroa
Place of Production
New Zealand
