Wooden gunstock; pigment, red; blade, metal; leather thong.

Made from a wooden gunstock, stained red at the uppermost part and faded at the wood handle. A metal blade protrudes from the elbow. Leather thong is wrapped around the bottom of the shaft. It is carved and incised.

The club's blade is decorated with a heart shape (also referred to as a double swan motif, by RS) and 3 holes that would form a triangle if the lines were connected. Below the blade, on the wooden part of the club, both sides are decorated with an incised disk inside of which is a motif resembling a 4-petaled flower. On the proper left of the shaft there is a figure of a man with an erect penis holding a club. A single feather is off to the his right. The club's shaft is decorated with 10 headless and armless figures. On the proper right of the shaft there are 11 headless torsos with no figure holding a club. At the extreme end of the club there are 10 bands of incised geometric shapes (some are chevrons, some are zigzags and some are chipped carvings) as well 10 bands on the other side. On the handle in a beak of a bird or hoof shape and there is a leather thong tied around the handle. The spine and the underspine have no markings or incisions.

In the British Museum's catalogue, "Native American Art: Irish American Trade -- The Stonyhurst Mullanphy collection," this gunstock is described as "engraved with an image of the owner, and headless individuals, a clear indication of his prowess as a warrior."

A label accompanying the club lists 1821 as the date of production.

Previously owned by the Society of Jesus. Part of the Stonyhurst collection, this item was one of several purchased by the British Museum in 2003 for 629 000 pounds, with contributions from the Heritage Lottery Fund (479 000), J.P. Morgan Chase (50 000), British Museum Friends (50 000) and the National Arts Collections Fund (50 000).

"North American Gallery: First peoples, first contacts," British Museum, June 1999.
"Native American Art: Irish American Trade," Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, July 2004; Castle Museum, Enniskillen, Northen Ireland, April 2005; Ulster Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland, October 2004.

JCH King 'First Peoples First Contacts,' British Museum Press, 1999.
JCH King, 'Thunderbird and Lightning,' British Museum Press, 1982.
British Museum, "Native American Art: Irish American Trade -- The Stonyhurst Mullanphy colletction" (2003), p. 12.

British Museum object catalogue.

Unknown American artist, club. Currently in the British Museum, Am2003,19.2. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip December 2007; GRASAC item id 25011.

This record was created as part of a Great Lakes Research Alliance for the Study of Aboriginal Arts and Cultures (GRASAC) research trip to the Pitt Rivers Museum and British Museum, December 8-22 2007, funded by a grant from the International Opportunities fund of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Researchers present: Heidi Bohaker (HB), John Borrows (JB), Lindsay Borrows (LB), Darlene Johnston (DJ), Stacey Loyer (SL), Janis Monture (JM), Bruce Morito (BM), Ruth Phillips (RP), Cory Willmott (CW).