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Tsimshian Society and Culture
Warfare
Instruments of War
Instruments of war included
bows and arrows, spears,
daggers,
clubs,
fist clubs,
canoe breakers, and
atlatls (boards that add propulsive force in throwing a spear).
A whale-bone club found at an ancient Tsimshian village site, near
Prince Rupert. It has been dated at approximately 2,000 years old.
(GbTo-31-522)
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Bows and Arrows
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Yew-wood bow decorated with Raven-head design
Collected by W.E. Gordon, 1853; Fort Simpson
(VII-C-2088)
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Bows used in war were made of yew wood and decorated with the
owner's crests. Ceremonial versions of these bows were inset
with abalone shell. War arrows were made of Saskatoon berry
branches obtained from the interior. Quivers consisted of tubes
of red cedar, often elaborately decorated.
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Daggers
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Steel war dagger with an eagle crest on the pommel
Collected by A. Mackenzie, 1884; Haida, Masset, Queen Charlotte Islands
(VII-B-944)
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Copper and steel daggers were obtained from Siberian fur traders
for hundreds of years. Some were double-bladed like the knives
of Siberian bear hunters. A steel dagger was as valuable as a
slave and was the prized possession of a chief. The pommels of
daggers provided a special field for artistic decoration.
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Clubs
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Stone war club in the "Skeena River" style, decorated with a
fantastic monster combining fish and mammal elements
18th century
Collected by I.W. Powell, 1879; Metlakatla village
(XII-B-556)
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Hand-to-hand fighting favoured the use of clubs. One ancient
form that can be traced to Siberia and Shang China was made
from caribou antlers armed with stone tips and decorated with
geometric or zoomorphic designs. These clubs came to symbolize
power among the Tsimshian, in particular, and miniature varieties
were made as non-functional badges of achievement.
Tsimshian stone clubs were the most elaborately carved on the
coast, a tradition that developed during a period of intense warfare
in the first millennium B.C. The animal and human figures that decorate
them are unlike any known crests produced later. Whalebone clubs, which
could be very large, were sometimes carved with delicate designs and
inlaid with shell.
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Fist Clubs
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Stone Fist Club
ca. A.D. 1
Lachane site, excavated 1973
(GbTo-33-4160)
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The witnessed histories (adawk) mention that warriors
concealed pointed stones in their fists for surprise attacks
on their enemies.
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Canoe Breakers
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Canoe Breaker
Collected by C.F. Newcombe, 1895-1900, Haida, Queen Charlotte Islands
(XII-B-281)
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According to the witnessed histories (adawk), large boulders were
thrown at attacking canoes, then retrieved for reuse by means of a
rope run through a hole in them. Straight-grained cedar canoes split
easily if large boulders were thrown at them with great force. The
enemy could also throw the boulders back, with destructive results.
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Atlatls
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Atlatl of yew wood
Collected from the Tlingit in the late 18th century
(VII-A-362)
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An atlatl (an Aztec word) is a throwing board that served to extend
the arm and add propulsive force to spears. Used throughout North
and South America before the introduction of the bow, it was retained
on the Northwest Coast until the introduction of the gun.
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Date Created: August 17, 1998 | Last Updated: May 31, 2011
