Goyogohó:nǫ’ Warclub

Goyogohó:nǫ Nyágwai’ Gunstock Warclub

Work of Billy Logan, Onondaga, turtle clan

This was a great chance to make a warclub which exemplified the culture pride of a fellow Haudenosaunee artist.

I wanted to display the cultural heritage of tattoo artist Cole Tiedemann who is Cayuga (Goyogohó:nǫ,) bear (Nyágwai’) clan.

This warclub started out as a 2 inch slab of Siberian elmwood which was harvested from just outside of the Tuscarora territory near Niagara Falls, NY. The solid piece of lumber was meticulously hand shaped into the recognizable gunstock form by the attist.

After sanding the piece, handmade Native American organic finishes were applied to give the beautiful rich Victorian luster. Next, the artist applied the hand engraving and pyrography methods to achieve the balance between traditional and contemporary art.

Finally, signature accessories were added to the piece. First, was the leather lashing on the lower forestock giving the warrior a firm grip on the extended appendage enhancing the leverage of the force. Attached to the lashing is a feather with a carved whitetail deer antler bead. The forestock is flanked with brass upholstery tacks which were in high demand during the Victorian years and adorned many utilitarian items. Last, is a 4 inch hand cold forged blade that adds an extremely intimation factor once the handmade birchbark sheath is removed.

These gunstock warclubs have a recent high demand among the Native American community who wish to connect with their heritage and ancestors. In addition, an increase from collectors inquiries have compounded demand. Orders are being taken and still some time to place an order before the holiday season.

#gunstock #nativeart #indigenousart #warclub #Haudenosaunee #Iroquois