Sioux Club + age?

[Tim Simmons]

Bit of a gamble here but I think there are grounds for optimism of a turn of the 19th century date to this piece. Not by looking at the label. I will have to wait for its arrival to make further assessment and comparison. In the time being I post some pictures to broaden the outlook. All taken from "Art of the American Indian Frontier, David W Penney, Phaidon Press LTD, 1992 The Detriot Institute of Arts" that show other material in a good state made with the addition or completly of crimson stroud trade wool fabric. I add the pictures in a series of replies so they are not jumble up texts. The club.

[Tim Simmons]

More wool.

[Tim Simmons]

More-

[Tim Simmons]

more

[Tim Simmons]

last and I could go on but you do not want the whole book.

[Jim McDougall]

It is excellent to see an American Indian weapon presented here, and done well with supporting evidence of provenanced items using similar crimson material as seen in some of the decoration of this war club.
The color red was significant among various tribes and along with other colors seemed to have similar meanings pertaining to both war and peaceful circumstances.
According to James Mooney, "History, Myths and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees" (1900), red was the color of the war club. While this club is noted as Oglala Sioux, naturally the general meanings and types of weapons were widely diffused through many tribes.

Colin F. Taylor ("Native American Weapons", 2001, p.16) describes a heavy round headed stone entirely covered with rawhide or buckskin which was in turn sewn around the wooden handle. It left 2" of rawhide between the handle and stone head free. Apparantly this free moving stone dealt a lethal blow. These were common on the plains and Southwest, with suggestions they originated west of the Rockies.

The idea of origin to the west seems supported by example #32, p.180 ("The American Indian", A. Hyatt Verrill, N.Y. 1927) which is one of these round stone types attached in what appears this manner to a haft, and classified as Apache.

Sitting Bull, the famed chief, was Oglala, and in an article by Harry H. Anderson, an official of the South Dakota Historical Society, one of his war clubs is described. In "The War Club of Sitting Bull the Oglala" (Nebraska History 42, 1961, p. 55-62) a three bladed 'gunstock club' used by him is described and illustrated in photos of c. 1874. In the grouping of weapons presumably Oglala and with Sitting Bull's is one of these round stone, leather covered war clubs. It appears that decoration at the end of the haft are feathers, much like in the line illustration of the Apache example (Verrill, op.cit. ).
While the stone head on these as well as in Taylors description suggest the head is round, naturally these shapes vary widely, and elliptical as this example within the expected range.

Since the bladed so called 'gunstock' type clubs seem to have come into use by the Plains tribes in 1860s according to Anderson, it would seem that these stone head types were somewhat supplanted but clearly still in use by 1870s.

The red color of the material seems corroborated to the provenanced items of mid 19th c. and according to what is noted on clubs of this form it would seem quite plausible that it is indeed Oglala as noted and probably of the first half of the 19thc.

[colin henshaw]

Looks a nice piece - judging from the colour of the hide in the images, I agree probably reservation period (late 19th/early 20th century). Native American Indian art is a very specialised field, with lots of nuances. Seemingly a key to age is whether the stitching is with sinew or thread...

Interested to see some images when you have it to hand.

Regards.

[Pukka Bundook]

Looks very attractive Tim.

I too think somewhat later though, as the wool has a much cleaner less faded and less worn look to it than the other very nice examples that you show.
The beadwork too looks very crisp, and particularly the 'neck' of the club, one would have expected to see wear there from flexing.

Yellow Wolf (Nez Perce) had a rawhide -covered ball club, but made with a rigid short shaft. It appears to have been entirely satisfactory though!
It was made in the latter days of the Nez-Perce' freedom, but does look much more worn than this one.
The other point is that the head can be very original to the early 19th century, but have had new handles and dressing applied to keep it 'respectable' for ceromonial use.
This is always very difficult to tye down!

Thinking of our own farm/woodwork tools, we have some in the family from the last years of the 18th century, But, some have been re-hilted quite a few times in that period.
So, I'd say Nice , very attractive piece, Tim. Possibly from the period you ascribe, but I Think with newer dressings.

Best wishes,
Richard.

[Tim Simmons]

Just have to wait so more pictures can be taken. It can be hard to make judgements from pictures. The club is only 18" long not including the horse hair.

Look at this super carved head club.