War Club

This war club was made from a dark hard wood found in Guyana. The Amerindian peoples of the Guyanas and the Caribbean regions used different kinds of clubs as weapons. They decorated war clubs with iconographic details. This one has triangular patterns that were used as symbols for spiritual protection. They often painted the same designs on their bodies as on their weapons.

Early European travellers represented the indigenous people as warlike and the club was mentioned as one of the key weapons used by groups such as the Caribs. War clubs and dance clubs were also made for trade.