Minneapolis Institute of Art

Dance Club (gugu)

Fiji

Date

19th century

Medium

Wood

Department

Arts of Oceania

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Clubs were one of the most important art forms on Fiji and are found in many shapes and styles. Treasured possessions, they were used by men as weapons, dance wands and as indicators of rank. Clubs of this type were for dancing. Often mistakenly identified with the lotus, their form comes from a stylized depiction of the flat butterfly fish, gugu . The extending diagonal portions are the fins, and the raised eyes can be seen carved where the top section tapers inward and joins the shaft. Fiji Islands, Oceania

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