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#1
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Native American style War Club by Tim Scholl
Tim Scholl took a beautiful piece of wood and made his version of a Native American war club. I shot three of his blades for submission to the magazines in trade for it because I've always wanted one but never got around to making it a priority. So it was just one of those situations that spontaneously worked out. I don't know much about the history of these things but the idea of having to use one as a weapon gives me the willies. Seems like delivering a mortal blow could be tricky. Maybe they were more ceremonial in nature. Of the 6 or 8 books I have about tomahawks, trade blades and related stuff there are very few of these pictured and no real discussion about them. I'm open to being educated if anyone has some knowledge to share.
Last edited by Buddy Thomason; 09-30-2011 at 09:54 AM. |
#2
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I am actually working on one of these right now.... Being a studier of history I normally would not recommend a movie for evidence of anything historical, but Last of The Mohicans with Day-Lewis shows one in action. The scene is near the end of the movie. The blade is on the back side of the weapon, and was likely added to the original war club in the 1730's or 1740's. Most warfare between native groups prior to Europeans arriving were mainly for captives, with the objective of knocking them out not killing them. They would then be integrated into the society as members of the tribe. The Aztec did much the same, only most captives ended up on the sacrifice table. Hope this helps and I would be happy to share more if you would like.
-Geoff |
#3
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Thanks Geoff - I'll check out the movie again as it's been a long time since I first saw it. The information you provided is fascinating.
This club has got me to thinking. Obviously my limited information and understanding was preventing me from grasping the role of a club weapon such as this one. I was imagining a one-on-one context and while that likely happened, I realized no single weapon could serve all purposes. Among my books I found a section that dealt with weapons in The Mystic Warriors of the Plains by Thomas E. Mails. I have no idea about the credibility of this tome but it is encyclopedic in scope. It helped me understand that clubs were a select part of a war or hunting party's arsenal. The array of weapons included bows and arrows, lances, knives, axes and clubs - each designed for a different purpose. The author claimed that most members of these small parties could use all of the above effectively and together they were a formidable force, tough to defeat until the repeating rifle arrived on the scene. Following this I began to read about the decoration of these weapons - another eye-opener for me. This club measures 24 inches in length and the blade is roughly 3 1/4 inches. I'm told that the term "gun stock club" is used to describe this style but that name originated with white men. The essential shape of this style is known to have pre-dated the arrival of white men and long guns, which fits with what you said above, Geoff. |
#4
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Awesome looking wood for sure. I like it. I'll second "Last of the Mohicans", I don't know how accurate the manual of arms so to speak is, but a gunstock hawk is used to good effect. I never really thought they would be that effective, but after watching that scene I'd have to think they'd be pure devastation in the hands of someone who know how to use it.
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awesome, blade, hawk, hunting, knife, knives |
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