Antler Club

In the period before European contact, Tsimshian clan leaders and artists developed a unique style of hand club which succeeding generations continued to produce into the early 19^th century. These impressive objects most likely served as war clubs, as hand fighting between armored combatants was the typical style of warfare on the Northwest Coast well into the historic period. Some were said to have been employed to dispatch slaves owned by clan leaders as sacrifices at the time of totem pole raisings and house dedications, however, there is little documented evidence of this. Over time, weapons and other implements of war such as helmets often became clan emblem objects, assuming uses that were more ceremonial and heraldic in nature.

Carved from elk, and in the case of the important example seen here, caribou antler, the form of these clubs closely follows that of the parent material. While some surviving examples are undecorated, others are highly embellished with surface relief carving, and occasionally, inlaid abalone shell. Several appear to have been fitted with stone or metal blades at one time.

The flat design of this superb object is skillfully carved, and the ingeniously formed bird’s head, with its abbreviated beak, is rendered so that it cants slightly, lending a sense of movement and liveliness to the sculpture. A series of shell-inlaid diamond shapes flow down the figure’s throat, perhaps representing the trachea of the bird, a feature often seen in early carved objects of the Northwest Coast.

It is believed that less than a dozen of these extremely rare clubs have survived, and are now found predominantly in museum collections in Europe and Canada. While difficult to accurately date, the oral tradition of this noble club suggests an origin several centuries ago. The exquisitely worn and polished surface gives testimony to the many years of handling and use this powerful, venerable object has endured.