Club, ball-headed

Club, ball-headed

Club, ball-headed

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Introduction

This relative, a ball-headed club, is believed to be Anishnaabe. The ball of this club is held in the jaws of an animal with a zigzag line issuing from the animal's right eye. Although its precise origins are uncertain, this relative dates from before 1880 and is believed to originate from the Northeastern Woodlands area.

This relative currently resides in the National Museum of Ireland.

Name of Maker(s): Unrecorded
Maker role: Artist
Nation of Maker: Anishinaabe Ojibwe
Nation of Origin

Eastern Ojibwe

Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, ON: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984.

National Museum of Ireland records.

Date Made or Date Range: Pre 1880
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, ON: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984.

Materials

Wood; red pigment; metal nail head

Techniques or Format

The metal nail head is embedded in underside of ball (formed from a burl).

Motifs and Patterns

The imagery may represent the power of the object, which is further emphasized by the zigzag line that runs down the face of the animal. That line may suggest lightning that came from Thunderbirds or the presence of manitos, powerful spirit beings (source: NMI).

Other Notes

The ball of this club is held in the jaws of an animal, probably a bear or a wolf, in a metaphor of power analogous to the grasping talons seen on clubs in the Grant Collection. A zigzag line issues from the animal's right eye and this image suggests that jagged lines were used to represent not only the lightning of the Thunderbirds but the forces of the manitos in general (Patterns of Power).

Dimensions: 55 × 0 × 0 cm
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

This information was gleaned from the text Patterns of Power.

Current Location: National Museum of Ireland
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: NMI 1880.1932
Link to Institution's Collections Database: ball-headed club, National Museum of Ireland
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1880
Source for Provenance information

National Museum of Ireland.

Publication History

Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, On.: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984.

GKS Reference Number: 1255
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Club, ball-headed. GRASAC ID 1255. National Museum of Ireland Collection NMI 1880.1932.

Record Creation Context

This record draws on images and information recorded in Ruth Phillips's book, Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, ON: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984. It was augmented by Dana Murray on August 17, 2025.

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