Seal Club

This fascinating artefact is believed to date back to the Whaling and Sealing period before European settlement in 1840. This Club is therefore close to 200 years old and shows the chips and nicks of a hard life killing seals. Not for the faint-hearted. The Club is very heavy and is made of a very dense timber,most likely Black Maire. The weight was required for the sealers to use in a circular motion. Purchased from Marshall Seifert Gallery in Dunedin around 1994. This information was provided by Marshall who obtained the Club from one of Dunedin's early settler families.