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  • wabanaki rootclub

    wabanaki rootclub
    Posted by [OnewiththewilD]

    Moderator Note: this thread was first posted in 2013 but failed to transfer across to the new forum when the software was updated, and so has been re-created manually.

    at my local historical society(im a member)we have a warclub that was donated years ago,i asked one of our older members about it, she said the womans name who donated it and told me someone in her family had bought it years ago in canada. they had it labeled as an "alaskan tomahawk" at the society. well, i make rootclubs and ballheaded warclubs, and ive done a fair bit of research on them, also ive seen first hand examples at the pequot museam . i knew it wasnt a alaskan tomahawk, most likely its a penobscot or abenaki warclub,it dosnt have all the bells and whistles like the ones they made for the "tourist trade" just a finely chipped in design around the neck.holding it in your hands you can definatly feel the age in it.i think it may be french and indian war period.alot of those tribes( of which i share blood)moved into (quebec area) canada during that time period as they were allied with the french, it was safer to leave the women and children there while out attacking the british and their supporters.i beleive this is how it may have come to be there.Now, alot of french-canadian familys moved into southern new england during the industrial revolution and into the 30s and 40s. this women who donated it brought it down with her family when she moved here from canada as a young girl.thats how it got here. if anybody can tell me anything at all more by the pics,feel free. i figured everyone would like to see a real example of such a weapon.


    Posted by [OnewiththewilD]

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    my other pics wont load! :S
    sorry eveyone i cant get these damn pics to load, when i figure it out i'll put em' up!


    Posted by [Paul D.]
    I have read about these but never seen one, thanks for putting it up.


    Posted by [Hoss ]
    Your file size is probably too big. it is easy to resize pictures using paint.
    I made this a while back to show how to resize using that program.



    Posted by [OnewiththewilD]
    sometimes my camera is funny, i usally only load 2 pics at a time , i took all these photos at the same time , some load and some say corropted file , it just so happens the best pics of the club are corropted somehow :S thanks for the help though!


    Posted by [Olden]
    That root club looks as though it would make a lasting impression on the enemy! :woohoo:
    I hope you can get more photos of it.
    Here's an interesting 'Big Stick' from the History Detectives ~




    Posted by [OnewiththewilD]
    that was a cool episode, i like that show , ive seen a couple other episodes of it before.


    Posted by [Olden]
    Yup, good show! I get a kick out of Elvis Costello rockin' their theme song too


    Posted by [Hoss ]
    any chip carving on the handle? Check out this site.


    Link no longer working

    I have two both carved by Russel Joseph Penobscot Here is a picture of one.

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    I had some very good friends while growing up who were Penobscot. I stay in touch now and then. Good people! My Dad bought this club many years ago in Maine. I will find the other and take some pictures.


    Posted by [Hoss ]
    This is cool too found it on Youtube
    Possibly the Chiefs Club?Made from the Burl of the Birch Tree Roots in Maine



    Posted by [Olden]
    Interesting noggin knapper Hoss.


    Posted by [wildo420]
    that clubs origin is about 20 miles north of me made by the Penobscot tribe to be more exact the wabinaki sometimes pronounced abenaki wer a confederation of several tribes here in the northeast Micmac malliseet Penobscot passamquaddy wer the major bands to my knowledge only the penobscots made the root clubs a very nice piece of history there are several of them in various museums here in maine I like it a lot thanks for sharing and hope I gave you some insight on your relic :cheer:


    Posted by [Hoss ]
    most of them were made of Birch by the penobscots but the one my Dad had is Pine. That shield seen on the handle was the makers mark. Here is another made by Russell Joseph Penobscot


    Link no longer working
    I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.

  • #2
    Posted by [tomclark]
    This one, probably a tourist item (picture authentication by a collector of such up there, LOL) was at a yard sale in St. Petersburg FL back in the 80's. I paid 2 bucks for it. It is apparently simpler than the better old or new ones and again, probably made for the tourist trade. Penobscot was what I have been told and thought. It has a simple pinnate leaf design on the side(s) It's still hanging on the wall and if anyone asks I say it's the "Devil's XXXXX" The wife, Brunhilda, is not happy with that, hahahahaha. I had no idea what it was until a few years ago I just happened to google root ball, probably root ball club cause what else could it be..!!!
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    Posted by [OnewiththewilD]
    the rounded ballhead style is more iroquoian in design but was also heavily used on the east coast as well,the spikey root clubs are like everyone else has said, mostly from the wabanaki tribes. in the late 19th century many poor penobscot families supplamented their incomes by making and selling versions of their traditional crafts to tourists, during this time period hundreds of "effigy clubs" were made and sold that featured indian heads,animals,nature motifs,e.t.c. some are beautiful examples of carving and woodwork,and some are just plain guady and ugly!TOMCLARK,yours may not be a tourist club,all the spikes seem sharpened ( not always sharp, just needs to be strong and pointy!)plus there isnt things carved out of them.how heavy is it ?and does it actually feel like a weapon? or does is seem like it would bust on a good hit (i know its old and maybe dry but if its not a wall hanger it would be made to take a beating)either way, awesome club and most definatly worth the 2 dollars you paid for it, if ya wanna sell it ill give ya 10 dollars, thats more than triple what ya paid, so its a deal? :whistle: HOSS your a lucky guy, thats a beautiful club as well,love the display.i had already made a few clubs before i became intrested in my geneology,we have always known we had alot of indian in my family (fathers family from maine and canada )and when i found out we were wabanaki,and most likely penobscot, i had already known they were the last of the native club carvers,so here i am ,a decendant down in R.I. unbeknownst to me and im doin the same thing.i thought that was pretty cool.


    Posted by [OnewiththewilD]
    if anyone wants to see some real top quality recreation pieces check out " native workshop" the guys name is todd bitler and he is truly a master craftsman.


    Posted by [Hoss]
    Dont know if you ever saw these or not. But these two guys might still be carving. My good old friend said she had met Stan at a museum in ME. and had some discussion about carvers.

    Tom the long streams of chip carved leaves are symbolic of Ash leaves. The Brown Ash is held in high esteem and regard by the Penobscot people. It is the wood they make all of their baskets from. Recently the Ash has been dying off Down East due to some Pests. Some Borer Beetle or Weevil which is invasive and has been creating havoc on the Ash forests there. That little pest has wiped out so much forest it is of great concern.

    http://www.umaine.edu/brownash/files...duced-file.pdf

    Tome love your club man that is a beauty.

    If you look at the Museum link I posted earlier you will notice most if not all of the clubs labeled as Penobscot have a Knob on the handle end. The ones listed as Passamaquoddy do not show this characteristic. Of the thirty or so displayed two just say North East and three say Passamaquoddy.
    If you click the thumbnails you get to see a bigger picture with some extra information not shown on the thumbnail pages.

    Onewith your ball clubs are very cool man. Do you harvest you own wood?
    My friend from the tribe told me I should try and carve one. Trouble is now that I live in the Smoky Mountains I cannot get any Silver Birch. There is a certain way to harvest it and prepare it for carving. It seems that Marshy areas produce the best Birch and they would go in and get it in early spring. Then just give it some light work like debarking and prepping the handle/then let them dry natural for a season before chip carving and carving the head.


    Posted by [OnewiththewilD]
    thanks hoss, yes ive heard and read about stan neptune before, his family is like penobscot "royalty"( i say that with all due respect ) both he and his son are outstanding carvers. yes, i do harvest all my own trees, for every thousands of trees you check out, only about 3-4 of em' are good enough, then when you dig up the roots to check em' out only like 1-2 of them might have suitable root structure.


    Posted by [OnewiththewilD]
    i prefer to harvest trees in the winter when the sap is heavy in the tree,(but i'll take a good one whenever i find it) when dryed it adds a natural "glue" to the wood, always cut your piece extra long so it has room to split at the ends as it drys,and always cut off the top of the tree before you cut down to the actual piece you want so the weight of the top dosnt split your staff on you as you cut your way thru it. same for the roots, cut em' long if you can,not crazy but at least an extra 4-6 in. than you want em, or if its a ballhead cut em 2-4 in. long off the "ball". after you cut your piece, leave it alone for like a month in a cool dry place, then shave off the bark, leave it for another month or so then carve out the rough shape, leave it again for like 2 weeks , by now it should be pretty dry and any cracking or splitting would have already occured. on the face of the ball it almost always splits and stars out some, thats o.k. almost all true root ball clubs do this , ive seen first hand from authentic ones at the pequot museam, and all mine have it as well, it doesnt weaken it at all. you would be surprised just how thin most of the real ones are, they were definetly going for speed over strength.


    Posted by [Chakotay]
    Great thread, you never stop learning here!!!


    Posted by [tomclark]
    Certainly feels/hefts like a weapon. Heavy. If I bashed with it, it would only dent the big spikes. This is a great thread, didn't know about differences in two tribe's clubs and small leaves motif are ash. Didn't know Wabenaki/Abenaki/Penobscot were in the same ballfield...
    I wondered about the colors/dyes....might be indicative of when it was made?


    Posted by [OnewiththewilD]
    its just a guess but it could be black walnut oil stain.when green the nut is covered by a hard green outer layer,when cut off and mashed up it creates a oil that stains black.its a common method among north eastern natives and they used it to dye everything.they also used alot of red ochre. oh yeah tomclark, people are squishy :evil: they wouldnt have been bashin trees or concrete with it so the spikes would probably be fine.plus in some tribes it was customary to leave your club on the body of a worthy or notable opponent as proof of your valor.


    Posted by [OnewiththewilD]
    from colin f. taylor's native american weapons book.

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    Posted by [Hoss ]
    Onewiththewild If your on Facebook you might like this group. I just ran across this on Facebook. It is calle Woodland War Clubs




    Posted by [OnewiththewilD]
    im not on facebook, actually this site is the only thing i post or write on.i checked out the link, very cool stuff, makes me wanna start working on a new one!
    I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.

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