Clam shell axe head, Solomon Islands
This is an axe head made from part of a giant claim shell. It was found on Nendo island, the largest in the Santa Cruz group in Solomon Islands. It measures about 8 cm x 5 cm.
It is impossible to tell how old it may be. The Spanish navigator, Alvaro de Mendana y Neira, led an expedition that established a short-lived settlement on Nendo in 1595. No doubt the islanders saw the settlers using European axes with metal heads at that time. However, clam shell axe heads may have remained in local use until a much later date.
The axe head would have been tied to a piece of wood, similar to the illustration below (actually showing an Australian Aboriginal axe using a sharp stone):
Axes similar to those which must have been used in the Santa Cruz islands have been seen in use in a custom village on nearby Espiritu Santo island, in northern Vanuatu.
About Author
