The supi is a war club of the Solomon Islands.

Supi from Malaita

Uses

Cut from iron wood, its diamond shaped head is specific to the Solomon Islands.[1] About thirty centimetres long, it has a carved striking head with well-marked ribs. It is native to Malaita island.[2] Besides its common name of supi, it can sometimes be referred to as a supe or subi.[3] Some were carved from whale bones.[4] The handle was sheathed with coconut fibre braiding, sometimes engraved or inlaid with shells. Some, carved with a crocodile face at their end, were reserved for the tribes chiefs.[5]

Supi from Malaita
Supi from Malaita

References

  1. ↑ Ethnologia Cranmorensis - Volumes 1 à 4, 1937, p.61
  2. ↑ Deborah Waite, Kevin Conru, Art of the Solomon Islands, 2008, p.118
  3. ↑ Deborah Waite, Artefacts of the Solomon Islands in the Julius L. Brenchley Collection, 1987, p.39
  4. ↑ Charles Elliot Fox, Grafton Elliot Smith, The Threshold of the Pacific: An Account of the Social Organization, Magic and Religion of the People of San Cristoval in the Solomon Islands, A.A. Knopf, 1924, p.188
  5. ↑ L’éclat des ombres. L’art en noir et blanc des îles Salomon

Bibliography

  • Anthony JP Meyer, Oceanic Art, Könemann, 1995.


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