MALAITA ISLAND, SOLOMON ISLANDS

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This war club, the vernacular name for which is supi, supe, or sube, comes from Malaita Island in the Malaita Province of the Solomon Islands. Widely recognized for their unique, angular lozenge shape, supi-type clubs have also been found on Maramasike Island as well as other islands within the southeastern Solomons. Weapons such as these were very common in the islands of Melanesia, including the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Guinea. Primarily wielded in tribal conflicts, clubs made of heavy wood and occasionally fitted with stone heads were highly effective in close combat.

 War clubs had other uses, too. They could be employed in agriculture, and ceremonial examples were often created for warriors’ funerary rites. Supi also had a metaphoric role, and it is surmised that the shape of the clubs carries sexual significance. As such, men of the Kwaio culture are not allowed to carry supi when they are participating in courtship rituals.

This beautiful example shows a classic tapered head with raised cross design on its face and a beveled counter-weight pommel at the opposite end. The grip is wrapped in coconut fiber and is heavily encrusted. Some supi feature coconut braiding with shells around the top edge of the grip wrapping.

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