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...

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Format

Image

Date created

late1800s

URL

https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/163687

Related subjects

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

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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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