War club

Unknown

ca. 1750 · Wood, pigment and nail · The American Wing

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.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1750

Medium

Wood, pigment and nail

Culture

Anishinaabe, probably Ojibwa, Native American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection of Native American Art, Gift of Valerie-Charles Diker Fund, 2017