Bear effigy War Club
Updated: Dec 19, 2022
Bear effigy war club by Iron John Logan
Just because the Indian Wars came to an end doesn't mean the warrior culture died too. Forced onto reservations and their real weapons taken from them, Native People would create new ones with what they had on hand and could source from the rapidly changing environment around them. Bear effigy war club is a folk art carved representation of the type mock weapons seen on reservations in the early 1900s. Hand carved from a soft light piece of wormy cottonwood and decorated with brass tacks, red rawhide paint and pyrography, the bear face pommel is countered by the long swooping lines of the stylized gunstock. The blade of tin plate made from antique industrial scrap such as a windmill or threshing machine is expertly folded and riveted into a strong sharp point. A quirt of cowhide lariat and a strip of red trade wool decorates the top of the grip. Age and patina by artist, signed and dated 2022
