ball-headed club

ball-headed club

ball-headed club

top image
Images
Introduction

Haudenosaunee wooden club with ball head. Motifs on shaft include various animals, tree, leaves, cross, star, pair of feathers, parallel zig-zag lines, and the date “1837”. Dr. Oronhyatekha Ethnology Collection.

Nation of Maker: Hodenosaunee/Haudenosaunee
Place of Origin: Six Nations of the Grand River Territory
Date Made or Date Range: 1837
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

GRASAC generated by AN

Materials

Wood shaft with ball made of a burl, heavy

Motifs and Patterns

Recto: cross hatched cross; rabbit, leaves, bird with wings extended and thick legs, tree, eagle, fish, parallel hatched zig-zag lines; verso:cross hatched cross, duck, lion, platform with "1837" and a beaver on top, eagle (looks like American eagle), star, pair of feathers, parallel cross hatched zig-zag lines

Dimensions: 62.5 × 16 × 0 cm
Condition: Good
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Engraved on club (integral to carved motifs)

Current Location: Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: HD5830
Publication History

F. Barlow Cumberland, Catalogue and Notes of the Oronhyatekha Historical Collection (Toronto: Independent Order of Foresters, 1904), p 66, Item 412. "War Club, ball headed, Six Nations."

F. Barlow Cumberland, Catalogue and Notes of the Oronhyatekha Historical Collection (Toronto: Independent Order of Foresters, 1904),p 65, Indian War Clubs

"Some of these war clubs are actual originals; others, copies made by Indians in Canadian Reservations from traditional types."

GKS Reference Number: 1177
How to Cite this Item

Unknown artist, ball-headed club. Currently in the Royal Ontario Museum, HD5830. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip December 2008; GRASAC item id 1177.

Record Creation Notes/Observations

GRASAC team research trip to the Royal Ontario Museum, Dec 15-19 2008, funded by SSHRC Aboriginal Research Grant. Participants: Heidi Bohaker, Alan Corbiere, Lewis Debassige, Anne De Stecher, Darlene Johnston, Stacey Loyer, Trudy Nicks, Ruth Phillips

Ethnography team, Dec 18: Cory Willmott, Trudy Nicks, Anne De Stecher, Ruth Phillips assisted by Tracey Forester

Approximate Place of Origin

42.3314, -83.0458

Do You Have Knowledge to Contribute? Share with Us.