Club

Item number 1927.1447 from the MAA: University of Cambridge.

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Data
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Description

Whalebone club inlaid with haliotis or abalone in a dot and groove pattern down the length of the blade. The bottom of the blade pattern ends in a human face, the same on both sides. The top of the handle is carved into the characteristic open mouthed bird-like profile, with an inlaid eye and grooves.; Good

Context

The catalogue card, not the original, states the club was from Quatsino Sound, putting its provenance within the Nuwitti and Quatsino areas of the Southern Kwakiutl. The original European tribal names and, where possible, current tribal names have both been given in separate GLT fields.; The whalebone clubs were used by chiefs, as war weapons and badges of office. A leather thong was often used to carry the club on the wrist. They are characteristically Nootkan in form but have been found throughout the coastal area, such as a cache of warrior weapons on the Queen Charlotte Islands dating back to 500 B.C. and are therefore of great antiquity. Some unknown person has added the following to the catalogue card, I am doubtful about the genuineness of this specimen - at best it was only made for sale. This assertion is possible given the angular nature of the club handle and the crudeness of the carving on the blade length and bird-like head, but not on the human faces. The inlaying of such clubs with abalone shell came after contact, but it does not rule out that this may have been made for sale within the indigenous trade networks given its relatively early acquisition date.(G.Crowther).