Nifo'oti (cane knife)

About this item

Title

Nifo'oti (cane knife)

Content partner

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Collection

Te Papa Collections Online

Description

This is a nifo'oti, a carved wooden weapon from Samoa. It is one of several forms of nifo'oti that have been made in Samoa from at least the early 1800s. Origins The first nifo'oti may have been modelled on cane knives or the blubber knife of early nineteenth century English and American whalers. These knives became a popular weapon in the Samoan civil wars of the mid to late 1800s and can be seen in old photographs from the period.The most common form of nifo'oti was a wooden club carved wit...

Read more

Format

Image

Date created

early 1900s

URL

https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/1351842

Related subjects

Sāmoan / wood / clubs / weapons / ceremonial weapons / Sāmoa / Polynesian

What is the copyright status of this item?

All Rights Reserved

This item is all rights reserved, which means you'll have to get permission from Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa before using it.

More Information

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa has this to say about the rights status of this item:

All Rights Reserved

What can I do with this item?

You must always check with Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa to confirm the specific terms of use, but this is our understanding:

Non-infringing use

NZ Copyright law does not prevent every use of a copyright work. You should consider what you can and cannot do with a copyright work.

No sharing

You may not copy and/or share this item with others without further permission. This includes posting it on your blog, using it in a presentation, or any other public use.

No modifying

You are not allowed to adapt or remix this item into any other works.

No commercial use

You may not use this item commercially.