baagndibe'gan club, gunstock

baagndibe'gan club, gunstock

baagndibe'gan club, gunstock

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Introduction

This baagndige'ban, gunstock club, is made from wood and iron. Light brown in colour, this ancestor is a rectangular shape with an elbow bend and an attached iron blade. This gunstock club was discussed by Johann Georg Kohl, travel writer and geographer in 1885, in which he saw a Chippewa man of Lake Superior with the clubstock, and recorded the following of his account on the meaning of the engraved images (as reproduced in the exhibition catalogue for Art of the American Indian Frontier, by David Penney): "The two human figures he told me...represented himself and his guardian spirit, or guide, who spoke to him in his dream, and told him to look upwards. When he did so, he saw a large, handsome eagle (a kiniou) sitting in its nest, as is represented...Above the bird, a crown of glistening stars floated, and over them the moon" (Kohl, 1985 [1860]: 296-97). This ancestor is currently located in the Detroit Institute of Arts. 

 

Nation of Maker: Anishinaabe
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

Kohl identifies the club with a Chippewa person.

Place of Origin: Michigan, USA
Date Made or Date Range: 1840
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

Information from this record comes from David Penney's Art of the American Indian Frontier (1992).

Materials

Wood, iron.

Motifs and Patterns

Stamped #s on blade, mason number?, as stated by Alan Corbiere

Additional Context

Curator David Penney notes that "Ted Brasser [curator] has noted that gunstock clubs tend to be carved with images related to spiritual powers from the sky, such as thunderers and other birds."

Dimensions: 25 × 8.625 × 0 in
Current Location: Detroit Institute of Arts, MI, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 2000.2
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://dia.org/collection/gunstock-club-37796
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 2000
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Thomas H. Pohrt

2000-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Collection Narratives and Histories

Richard and Marion Pohrt collected club from Calvin Berry, Michigan.

Source for Provenance information

As listed on the Detroit Insitiute of Arts Catalogue.

Publication History

Kohl, Johann Georg. Kichi-Gami: Life Among the Lake Superior Ojibwa. St. Paul, MN, 1985, pp. 296-97 (ill.)

Penney, David W. Art of the American Indian Frontier. Exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 1993, no. 153.

GKS Reference Number: 26460
Record Creation Context

This record was created by Natasha Fares on February 12th, 2024. The photographs were removed by Natasha Fares on February 12th, 2024 to respect an agreement between the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Michigan Anishinaabeg Communities of Practice group.

Record Creation Notes/Observations

Item was de-installed and photographed by Kelly Konieczki while on exhibit at the DIA, prior to the team's visit. Photography may need to be revisited to capture better details of all motifs. All discussion during the GRASAC visit was captured exclusively on video by Crystal Migwans during a walk-through of the galleries; members did not have access to internet/GKS at the time to enter information.

Approximate Place of Origin

46.316584181822, -86.968595114765

Source of Information about Places

Lake Superior area - note the pin is very approximate and only reflects the south shore of the Lake, not a precise location.

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