Club
Potawatomi spiritual leader James Kagmega, a keeper of the Underwater Serpent bundle*, said:
We are taught that there is continual warfare between the Powers Above (Thunderbirds and their bird allies) and the Powers Below (Underwater Panthers and their snake and fish allies). Their conflicts affect the lives of the different Indian tribes here on the earth. When they are quiet and at peace, the Indians are peaceful too. When there is battle in the heavens and at the bottom of the waters, then there is warfare among mankind too. (Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, Vol. 16, No. 2)
To understand the significance of the images carved into this club, one must understand the stories and ideas linked to it, revealing the philosophies of this artist’s culture.
Thanks to its strength and availability, Maplewood was commonly used for clubs. The finest examples were carved from trees growing out and upward from riverbanks where erosion and water had directed the trunk’s shape. The root ball would be used as the head because the wood grain, being intergrown, was stronger than straight wood grain. The wood grain would follow the flow of the handle into the ball head, acts of Underwater Serpents. (On other examples of war clubs, a Thunder Being and Underwater Serpent will sometimes be at war with a human male figure in the middle).
The stories of the Thunder Beings, Underwater Serpents, and Maymaygwayshi still inspire Anishinaabe artists to this day. One such artist, George Morrison from the Grand Portage Reservation in northern Minnesota, collected wood from the shores of Lake Superior to sculpt “wood paintings.” (See page 30.) With much of his artwork, he interlaced ideas of modern art with oral traditions, believing the origin of Native art begins with spiritual meaning. When speaking about his work, Morrison said:
“The so-called Underwater Serpent . . . I would like to believe it myself, I see this mythical monster or animal in my paintings . . . in the foreground of the paintings that are halfway hidden in the water, I might catch a shape that resembles the spirit figure.” (Art and Life of George Morrison, Public Broadcasting Service, 2015)
For people without a written language, the creation of art is the creation of culture. The symbols on the war club tell the stories of the Anishinaabe people. Their meaningful relationship with the land is transmitted throughout the generations. Though the carver’s name is unknown, the stories of his people continue to be passed on and remembered thanks to his club.
*The bundle is part of a ceremony the Potawami use to honor the spirit of Lake Michigan and the underwater serpent that lives in it because the tribe depended on the lake for many things. making a very sturdy weapon, one unlikely to break at the upper end when used in battle.
Carved at the top of this club is a horned human figure named Maymaygwayshi, who has long been respected by the Woodlands people. Paintings or pictographs of him can be found on rock surfaces throughout the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe; many of these pictographs are hundreds of years old. Because the most desired trees used for clubs had their roots shaped by rivers, it is possible the artist carved Maymaygwayshi into the club in homage to the river-dwelling spirit, who is often portrayed as a trickster in Anishinaabe stories. He would do good deeds for those who paid him proper respect, and he would play tricks, such as stealing one’s canoe, for those who did not.
Maymaygwayshi is carved on the same side as the Underwater Serpent, who is known as Mishipeshu in Ojibwe, a language of the Anishinaabe. Underwater Serpents are described as having the head and paws of a giant lynx, but they are covered in scales and have dagger-like spikes running along their back and tail. Though some traditions believed them to be helpful and protective, the Woodlands people most often viewed them as malevolent creatures that brought death and misfortune to those who did not placate them for safe passage on the waterways. While feared, the Underwater Serpents were also respected for their power in battle.
The Underwater Serpent is eternally at war with the Thunder Beings, known as Animikii (Ah-Nee-Mee-Key) in Ojibwe. On the other side of the club is a carved image of a Thunder Being, along with images of medicinal plants. For the Ojibwe people, their four sacred medicinal plants—Kinnikinnick (a mixture of plants including tobacco), white sage, white cedar, and sweet grass—are often placed on the ground as an offering or burned so the smoke can lift the prayers to the spirits. The Thunder Being is represented as a carved bird figure; its beating wings were the sound of thunder to the Anishinaabe people. In many traditions, the Thunder Beings protect humankind from the evil.
Look closely at the form of this club. How do you suppose a club like this could be used to hurt an opponent? What do you see that makes you say that?
Look closely at the designs on both sides. What do you see? Describe the features of each image. Once students have described in detail what they see, explain who the different characters are and their relationship to one another.
Artists made some clubs in the shape of war clubs as presentation pieces or for use in ceremonies that honored the spirits and stories of their people. In what ways do you learn the stories of your people, culture, or family today? What kinds of objects help you remember and tell stories?