Object Assessment: D.0013 - Wooden Aboriginal hunting club

Figure 1 - D.0013, Wooden hunting club from Australia, carved wood. L: 58cm, Wt: 338.5g

The object pictured, known among indigenous groups as a waddy or nulla nulla, has been carved from a single piece of hard, dense timber into an aerodynamic, cylindrical shape; from its bottom, pointed end it has been straightened along its shaft, then widens towards its head into a conical shape before tapering into an additional pointed tip. Its density and hardness would facilitate its use as a weapon or hunting implement, while its aerodynamism suggests that it may have been designed to be used as a projectile; ethnographic accounts have identified these objects’ uses as throwing sticks as well as clubs for close combat to settle internal disputes (Pardoe 2014, 118). There are however no obvious signs of use-wear on the surface, suggesting either it was collected prior to its use as a functional item, it was constructed to represent a similar looking object, or otherwise used ceremonially in some form. Typological differences seem to be commonplace among these objects; many examples are housed on online auction houses (Carter's n.d.) and located in private collections and show a variety of different forms and likely functions. 

Figure 2 - Image of surface under magnification, showing some splits in wood

Though there is limited information surrounding the club’s provenance, some inferences are possible when considering its collection history. It was part of a personal collection bequeathed to the Department of Anthropology by Grafton Elliot Smith, Head of Anatomy at UCL, upon his death in 1937. Circumstances surrounding the object’s acquisition are not clear; however, Smith was Australian (Blunt 1988), which gives some possible scope to infer that he bought or otherwise acquired the club during his return to his country of origin. These circumstances must be considered in context; Smith being an Australian of European descent, collecting from a country whose indigenous inhabitants underwent a systematic process of mistreatment and marginalisation. It is feasible therefore to consider the club as a signifier of colonial collecting practices and would benefit from the input of indigenous stakeholders in determining its validity as part of the collection.

Figure 3 - Other club types, manufactured by Arrernte people, Central Australia (Image 
available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arrernte_Keulen_EthnM.jpg)

In general, the club is in a good, stable condition, and is not in need of urgent conservation action. While there are several cracks in its surface these do not appear to be moving and will not likely actively deteriorate, taking its storage condition and current humidity and light controls inside the room into account. Both ends of the club are somewhat sharp, however natural wear of its ends have negated any specific danger in handling the object, as long as correct handling measures are routinely followed.

Australian Aboriginal artefacts: club, waddys and nulla (n.d.), Carter's Price Guide to Antiques.  Retrieved March 28, 2020, from https://carters.com.au/index.cfm/index/2221-australian-aboriginal-artefacts-club-waddy-nulla-nulla/

Blunt, M. J. (1988), Smith, Sir Grafton Elliot (1871-1937), Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retreived March 28, 2020, from http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/smith-sir-grafton-elliot-8470

Pardoe, C. (2014), Conflict and Territoriality in Aboriginal Australia: Evidence from Biology and Ethnography, in M. W. Allen & T. L. Jones (eds), Violence and Warfare Among Hunter-Gatherers, Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press, 112-132.