Dore & Rees Auctioneers specialist Marc Allum holds the two akatara (Cook Islands spears) from the 19th century, discovered supporting beans in a UK garden. Photos / Dore & Rees Auctioneers
Dore & Rees Auctioneers specialist Marc Allum holds the two akatara (Cook Islands spears) from the 19th century, discovered supporting beans in a UK garden. Photos / Dore & Rees Auctioneers
Two Polynesian weapons dating back to the 1800s are up for auction in the United Kingdom - after years of being used to support beans in an English garden.
The extraordinary discovery was made more than 50 years ago after the person who later came to own the weapons -two spears - spotted them in a friend’s garden in the 1970s.
The stone-carved spear clubs are known as akatara and originate from the Cook Islands. They are regarded as highly prestigious and were owned by people of high rank.
They are among the most sought-after types of Polynesian artefacts in the world of collecting.
A closer look at the Polynesian weapons from the 18th Century. Photo / Dore & Rees
Dore & Rees Auctioneers said specialist Marc Allum - who also appears on hit BBC programme Antiques Roadshow - visited the owner after a handwritten letter arrived at the office.
A photograph of a number of objects was also included with the letter.
“[Marc] visited the owner in Coventry and was amazed to hear they had been rescued from a friend’s garden in the 1970s - where they had been used to support beans.”
The akatara are made from the Pacific Ironwood native tree, known as the toa tree, in the Cook Islands - often used to make canoes and traditional tools and weapons.
These two particular akatara are thought to originate from Rarotonga or Atiu, given each shaft is distinctively decorated with two sets of eyes.
The auction house acknowledged the historical significance of such clubs - mentioned in the journals of surgeon William Anderson, who travelled with British explorer Captain James Cook during his voyages in the 1700s. Cook was later killed in Hawaii.
Interestingly, a spear used to kill Cook - and then kept by a navigation officer, who later turned it into a walking stick - was sold by his descendants at auction for £156,000 ($360,000) to an anonymous London buyer in 2003.
“Such historic associations naturally add to the allure of these amazing creations, where their status has become both culturally important and also highly prized for their aesthetic appeal,” a spokeswoman said.
Dore & Rees specialist Marc Allum pictured with the two Cook Islands spears, or akatara.
The akatara will both be up for auction tomorrow (Friday, UK time), with estimates of £10,000 to £15,000 each ($23,100 to $34,660).
Information provided by the auction house says they have not attempted any cleaning on the spears and have kept them in the state they were found in.
“Sourced privately, this club was rescued from the garden of the owner’s friend... where it was being used to support beans.
“The colour of the club is obviously less lustrous - probably for this reason - but we have chosen to leave it in original condition.”
The description says: “The club has ingrained dirt and generally matte finish - most likely due to being kept outside”.
Vaimoana Mase is the Pasifika editor for the Herald’s Talanoa section, sharing stories from the Pacific community. She won junior reporter of the year at the then Qantas Media Awards in 2010 and won the best opinion writing award at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.
