The gunstock club or gun stock war club is an indigenous weapon used by Native Americans, named for its similar appearance to the wooden stocks of muskets and rifles of the time. Gunstock clubs were most predominantly used by Eastern Woodland, Central and Northern Plains tribes in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The gunstock club is the name given to describe one of the many different types of Native American war clubs used during Indian warfare. Gunstock clubs were widely used across North America in the late 1700’s and 1800’s, both as weapons and status symbols. They were made with hard wood or whale bone and embellished with carvings on the handle and a pointed blade was also an important part of the gunstock club.
Various embellishments such as engraving or carving of Native American symbols and the addition of paint on the handle of gunstock war clubs and sometimes the addition of brass studs. The gunstock club is used for ceremonial purposes at powwows, diplomatic events such as signing peace treaties and other special occasions.
