Pole Club

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Culture Rarotongan

Culture Cook Islands

Title Pole Club (Akatara)

Date 18th or 19th century

Medium Ironwood

Dimensions Object: 98 1/4 × 5 1/16 × 1 1/4 in. (249.6 × 12.9 × 3.2 cm)
Overall: 98 1/4 x 5 1/16 x 1 1/4 in. (249.6 x 12.9 x 3.2 cm)

Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 64.12

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About this Work

Nowhere in the world did the making of clubs, spears, and other weapons reach higher aesthetic refinement than in the islands of Polynesia before the coming of Christianity. On the Cook Islands, eight different forms were used, the pole club being among the most elegant weapons.

Characterized by the symmetrical scalloped edges and a pair of eyes (indicated by a central band), the pole club is carved from ironwood call tao, which is also the word used for warrior. The close association between the pole club and the warrior who used it is also represented in the carved end of the pole in the form of a phallus.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Pole Club | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=64.12