Native Life: Gunstock War Clubs

One of the most lethal blunt force weapons in a warrior's armament was this mean-looking form of club.  It's easy to see where the inspiration for this weapon came, though sources differ on how it developed.  Did Natives use muskets without the metal works and adapt them with blades obtained from trade goods, or did they carve wood in the shape of a clubbed musket, with a blade or blades on the business end?  No one knows for sure, though adapting a busted-out musket with a blade probably wasn't too durable or practical.  The most logical assumption is that Natives got the idea from the smashing force of an empty and clubbed firearm.  They adapted this simple weapon by adding metal blades obtained from trade goods and decorated the weapons to personal taste with tacks, leather grips or figures carved into the handles.  Gunstock war clubs were first used by Woodlands tribes in the mid-17th century and remained in use by Plains Native into the 19th century.  Real specimens from the era are prized collectors items, while replicas are sometimes used as part of regalia on special occasions.