War club
Anishinaabe, probably Ojibwa, Native American
Not on view
This weapon was carved as an effigy of a deer’s leg. The sculptor carefully chose the hardwood so that the burled portion, where a branch was once attached, would strengthen the angled head. The heavy spherical element seems to have contained a projecting spike designed to split skulls in intertribal warfare or conflicts with Europeans in the Midwest. Highly polished and decorated with red pigment, this club would have been a warrior’s prized possession.
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