Plains War Club

19th Century Plains Indian war club combining sculptural clarity with lived history, formed from a long wooden shaft surmounted by a double-pointed, highly polished stone head wrapped in hide and secured with animal sinew. Red ochre below head and drop. The hide binding is carefully sewn, its surface bearing earthen red pigment that continues down the strap and reappears near the head, a color long associated with vitality, power, and martial strength. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, such clubs often carried ceremonial weight as well as practical meaning, serving as markers of identity, honor, and continuity during a period of profound cultural change. 7.4" L x 2.1" W x 30" H