i-Wau (War Club)
The most famous of weapons used by the Fijian warrior was the i-wau (war club). Each warrior would have their main combat club and one or two throwing clubs fastened to their girdle. War clubs were precisely shaped by the Matai (wood carver) to execute killer blows on any enemy. Different clubs were designed to cause harm in different ways. Not only were they shaped to precision but many way clubs were decorated with intricate carvings and some inlaid with ivory.
Moto (Throwing Spear)
The moto, also known as vutu or sa was another popular weapon used by Fijians warriors. Most spears would be at least three metres in length, made from dense hard woods, and created by special craftsmen known as the mata-ni-moto. The shafts of the moto were wrapped with fine magimagi for grip. The piercing point of the moto would sometimes be inlaid with stingray thorns or carved with barbed tips to make extracting the moto from a wound difficult.
Bows and arrows
Known as dakai or vucu in different dialects, the bow and arrow was a commonly used instrument not only in war but for hunting and fishing as well. Bows would range between 1.5 to 2 metres in length and were normally made from the exposed roots of mangrove trees. The arrows were normally over a metre in length with tips made of hardwood and sometimes inset with thin fish bone to make removing it from the wound difficult. Bows and arrows did not cause as much immediate hard as the moto or i-wau but the arrow heads proved to be difficult to remove from wounds leaving victims to fall sick and die days or even weeks later from infection.
i-Rabo (sling)
The i-rabo was used to hurl stones at enemies from far distances, During battle, arrows fired from bows and stones flung with the i-rabo would start the fight for warriors until they were closed enough to use hand-to-hand combat weapons. The two chords of the i-rabo would run 60 to 70 centimeters from magimagi, vau and very rarely from human hair. The pouch that carried the stone was normally made of the Wa Yaka wine.
Kiakavo Fijian War Clubs
Kiakavo were typically a dance club used in ceremonial circumstances. They were rarely used for fighting due to their lack of a cutting edge. The area under the head is rounder and not sharp like the Gata or Sali. Kiakavo come in a variety of hardwoods and softwoods and a wide range of sizes. Collectors of native weapons are not keen on Kiakavo due to their ceremonial nature. Kiakavo are the most common form of Fijian war club to come onto the market and are not very valuable. The handle of the club was often covered in sennit string.
iUlabulibuli (throwing club)
The iUla as its commonly called according to the Fiji Museum website were worn alone or in pairs, with their handles thrust through the waistband of a man’s loincloth. iUla were fashioned from the dense root-stock of small hardwood trees and had a heavy ball-head. In battle they were thrown to bring down an opponent or fleeing enemy, so that he could be finished off with a heavier two-handed club. According to the Fiji Museum, when thrown with great speed and precision by men trained since childhood, its head delivered a heavy, stunning and sometimes lethal blow. This club dates from the mid-1800s.
