Lot Essay
The Beyeler Tongan club is carved in the style of West Polynesian weapons. The form of this club, with its lanceolate head and rectangular neck ornament, can be found in Fiji (Clunie, 1977, fig. 9e for a similar club without any engraved decoration), as well as in the Samoa Islands (Edge-Partington, 1969, pl. 72, fig.1). The present club is clearly from the Tongan Islands, as it is completely covered with characteristic engraved decoration.