Penobscot War Club

[vtbuck223]

I had no idea what this was when I got it at a barn sale recently. A woman who was standing next to me...said she almost bought it and something about "Jamaica" so I thought maybe it was from there. It was cheap...so I thought it would be a good foundation for modifying it to a more traditional style club. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is a traditional Penobscot War Club made from the root burls of gray birch. Needless to say...I'm not going to modify it. I couldn't say how old it is...but I know they were making them for trade/ souvenier items up into atleast the early 20th century. Anybody...have more information on these...any "Mainers" out there who might add something?

 

[Stumpkiller]

No idea how you authenticate or date such a thing. Here's a few similar (& less so).

http://blog.nola.com/stephaniestokes/2009/03/indian_ball_root_club_is_a_fam.html
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/penobscot-indian-war-club-made-from-tree-root
http://louwersantiques.com/galback/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=30107
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/9725067
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/penobscot-indian-war-club-carved-burl-root-wild

 

[Tatonka]

The red paint and carving don't look very old, at least not in those photos. Do you have any larger photos?

Regardless, to find that at a barn sale is pretty awesome. I sure as heck would have bought it. Even to get somebody to make you a contemporary one to hang on your wall would cost several hundred dollars or more.

ETA: there were two of them in the William Guthman collection auction in 2006. I looked through the auction guide. They do look similar, but no paint. One has a face, the other has brass tack eyes and carvings of various animals. Unfortunately, I don't believe a date was given, nor a value range. I suppose that the results of the auction could be tracked down somewhere.

 

[dyemaker]

I recall a similar post quite a while ago. I saved a couple of the pictures. It was stated that these animal effigy clubs used in animal medicine ceremonies and were also made for tourists in the 1920's. I have no idea how to dig up the post else I would. Grey Birch burl huh? Interesting. I like this owl alot....

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/owl2x.jpg/

I don't recall who made the post or when it was. Penobscot natives were mentioned and this object does look very similar.

 

[dyemaker]

I found the thread. Here it is....
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...post/794365/hl/penobscot/fromsearch/1/#794365

Hope it works. Just trying to help.

 

[Shine]

We only have yellow and white birch here. Never seen grey birch. I live 10 miles from the penobscot reservation. Im friends with the chief. Ill ask around

 

[dyemaker]

I'm sorry, I think I did the picture link wrong.... here it is. There are similar markings on the shaft. http://imageshack.us/g/27/owl2o.jpg/

 

[vtbuck223]

This club doesn't look to be really old to me either. But if it was made back in the 20's and just sat in a house somewhere....I wouldn't expect a lot of wear. It does look like a kid whacked some trees with it or something as the tips are a little worn. It most likely was made as a tourist item...but still pretty cool. They have apparently been made for centuries...in basically the same manner...and have cultural significance to the Penobscot Tribe. They may have been mostly ceremonial...but I can tell you that a crack on the skull would ruin your day....or actually life. At one point they must have made clubs for battle in a similar manner?....though I hope in a way that was a little easier to carry around. Thanks for the links...I've seen some other pictures painted almost exactly like mine. "Shine"...it's good to hear from the great state of Maine. I'd love to gain some knowledge from the chief and others there about the history of these clubs and significance to their tribe.

 

[shortbow]

Wowee! thanks a lot for this thread. I have a similar item that was in the summer house in New Mexico my grand parents bought in the 'twenties. The original builders/owners were from down East and the story we got was that they built it in 1900 and they brought the club with them. Mine is very large with a very fat handle portion, chip carved and painted in green. The head is done as an NDN effigy of a face with the sharp bits of the root sorta taking the place of feathers. The face is painted orange, the tips of the root painted green.

Nobody ever knew exactly what the piece was, the rest of the house was furnished in Southwest NDN goods etc, we just thought it was some sort of Whiteman folk art.

Really great to now know what I have.

:thumbsup:

I know somebody is going to ask for pics, but seriously, I'm just too computer illiterate/phobic to do that.

 

[Shine]

If they were from down east it could be Passamaquoddy. Same language if you go far enough back probably the same people. I know the names in both tribes are the same. Even my name shows up. They carving on the handle does not look typicaly wabanaki .that is the four tribes in Maine Thier artwork is more of the double curve design.

 

[Shine]

This could be a trade item I dont think its that old.Rasp marks on handle and points. Worst case scenario it could be 1970s rendesvous.

 

[Tatonka]

Are you positive that this is grey birch? The Guthman clubs were IIRC made out of spruce.

FWIW, even with true period war clubs there will be people who tell you that they are fakes or contemporary. I have seen war clubs sell to people for 5 figures, and then people turn around behind the person's back, who initially didn't question the club, and tell others that they think it's a fake.

That being said, it would be nearly impossible for the bright red paint and fresh looking carving to be really old. That doesn't mean that the club itself isn't older than the paint and carving.

Keep in mind that even reservation-made items are still very valuable. And if you like it, that's all that matters. I'm sure there would be many on here who would love to give you what you paid for it.

 

[Shine]

Thats definatly a yellow birch root the things grow on trees around here. BADoomBOOM :grin: Im almost positive it was made to peddle. Do have any back story on it. Yellow birch is a hard wood the really old historical examples will have chip carving marks. Keep in mind that maine tribes had first contact and were trading with the french in the 1500s off the coast of maine. European steel and cloth took hold here before anywhere else. If you have a club it was either ceremonial or made in the 1800 or early 1900s for sports coming to indian island for guides into north western maine. Henry David Thoreau got his guide off indian island. Even the one in the university of maine museum was collected in 1911 by a guy named speck who wrote a book called penobscot man. He wanted to record the last of the traditional culture before it completly vanished. I go to the island to buy my packbaskets. They are so rugged you can stand on them. The penobscots are true craftsmen. There is even a guy who still makes birch bark canoes with no modern tools or materials. I have paddled one and The old town canoe factory a mile away still can't build a better handling canoe. Also keep in mind I have one out in my barn. My father in law made in the 80s for rendesvous decoration. Red paint and all These things are incredibly hard to authenticate.

 

[vtbuck223]

I had read somewhere in researching that it was made out of "gray birch". I was also surprised to find out that we have "gray birch" here in Vermont.(I spend a lot of time in the woods and had never known it existed.)Now... I find out that "gray birch...silver birch...and swamp birch" are all just alternate names for yellow birch. Thanks for the information...if you hear anything else concerning the traditions related to these clubs...I would be interested in hearing it. It doesn't really matter to me when it was made....I am just glad to learn something new around all this...and it is a cool piece no matter what. Somebody...whether it was a hundred years ago....or last week.... took the time to make this thing...using skills that had been taught to them from somewhere...those skills that have been passed down through many generations. Thanks all.

 

[vtbuck223]

And another thing..."Shortbow"...get over the phobia and posts some pictures...you can do it!

 

[vtbuck223]

Okay...one more thing...I also appreciate the tone of this discussion. Sometimes the vitriol of certain threads get's a little out of hand...it should be fun and informative....I'm getting down from my soapbox now. Thanks again.

 

[shortbow]

Just a thought here on the thing about fakes and originals vis a vis the new look lot of these have.

The one I have has paint that looks very fresh and "new", but I'm 99.9% sure that it dates from at least 1900. Also the paint used must have been lead based and hence quite durable.

If the majority of these were made for the tourist trade, most of them, like mine, must have been kept in the house and not used.

As I said, the one I have came West with the builders of the house I grew up in and that was at the turn of the century, and we kids were not allowed to play with it, so it spent the majority of its life siting on a shelf where it was safe from damage or wear.

I also googled "Penobscot War Club" and got a lot of hits which were quite informative.

 

[Muskeg Stomper]

vtbuck223,
The second set of photos look to me like a lot of the shaping has been done with a file. Files have certainly been around since ancient times but I doubt they were in use much with the Penobcots until fairly modern times.

 

[S.Kenton]

Fake or authentic.. I'd hate to get WHACKED by it!! :surrender:

 

[Ken Cormier]

I live quite handy to the Penobscot res and every evet that they attend pow wow's craft fairs you can find someone selling them new made. Usally with brighter paint and turkey/eagle feathers.


p.s. some around here call them snobscots