Wooden hula clubs .. a unique part of a warrior’s ceremonial war costume

Wooden hula clubs were carved from the most toughest and durable timber as part of a Polynesian warrior’s armoury. Carved by hands that would wheelled this instrument of destruction the clubs would be weighted and decorated to suit their owner, who would practise hours on striking and defensive parries.

This club would be apart of their person just like an arm or a leg that moves in precision with one’s body movements. Warrior’s would produce more than one weapon and at times would use more than one; they would also mark notches on these implements of the lives they had taken in battle.

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These weapons were also a big part of ceremonial dances before engaging their adversaries they would mimic their battle movements in these formalities. This would get so intense that they would have to be careful of injuring each other before the real battle; they learnt how to respect their clubs because it would be the different between life and death.

But as man developed mentally and move towards the future these instruments became more and more of a ceremonial accessory for traditional dance and important fixtures. No longer were these deadly instruments used to harm and brutally hurt people, now they were for remembrance and story telling of great battles won and lost and also about the great War Lords and how they commanded such present while standing with these clubs in their hands.

Wooden hula clubs were also carved and given as gifts, the carver when carving would in some cases print and carve patterns that tell of stories of why the club is to be gifted, or because he was asked and given the information of that person and their heritage.

So the next time you are privilege to see of be apart of one of these awesome Polynesian dances with wooden hula clubs, remember that with the grace and precision that the performer use them, they do have a Dark Past!

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