Original Item: One Only. True antique Aboriginal weapons are very rare. This is a classic example of an Aboriginal War Club known as a “WADDY” or a “NULLA NULLA”. The first of these names comes from the Dharuk Aborigines of Port Jackson, Sydney.
A waddy is a heavy club constructed of carved timber. Waddies have been used in hand-to-hand combat, and were capable of splitting a shield, and killing or stunning prey. In addition to this they could be employed as a projectile as well as used to make fire and make ochre. They found further use in punishing those who broke Aboriginal law.
Our example measures 22 inches in length, and is from the Victorian era and shows criss cross decorations. This is not a tourist item, the patina is very mature and was probably brought back to England by a British Soldier in the late Victorian period. Original antique Aboriginal weapons are extremely hard to find.