The manufacture process of war clubs: Replicating indigenous technological systems of conflict from the Lower Colorado Basin

Abstract

This study provides a multi-disciplinary framework operationalizing the study of weaponry through experimental archaeology. In this scenario, I focus on war clubs, a type of Indigenous weapon commonly found across North America. The goal of this study is to understand how these weapons were engineered for violent conflict. My methodology utilizes archival research, museum study, and experimental archaeology analyses to elaborate on features of design, manufacture, use, and tactics of war club technologies. To operationalize this framework, I focus on a case study of conflict technology in the Lower Colorado River Basin from 1540–1857. Despite war clubs being prolific and an integral part of the technological systems of conflict in this region, this is the initial in-depth material analysis of this weapon type. From this study we can begin to infer how and why weapons systems were chosen, designed, created, and used through the experiential and embodied process of making.