WAR CLUBS of the Native American | Plains Indian

Made for a departing commanding officer of the US Navy

Based on a Sioux war cub circa 1880. It features a painted war bonnet. The bonnet had to be earned through brave deeds in battle because the feathers signified the deeds themselves. Some warriors might obtain only two or three honor feathers in their whole lifetime, so they were difficult to earn. The bonnet was also a mark of highest respect because it could never be worn without the consent of the leaders of the tribe. For example, A high honor was received by the warrior who was the first to touch an enemy fallen in battle, for this meant the warrior was at the very front of fighting. Feathers were notched and decorated to designate an event and told individual stories such as killing, scalping, capturing an enemy's weapon and shield, and whether the deed had been done on horseback or foot.
A painted and studded Dragon Fly.
The dragonfly, in almost every part of the world symbolizes change and change in the perspective of self realization; and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life.
Also a painted and studded lightning symbol
The meaning of the Lightning symbol represented lightning which was believed to add power and speed to the warrior. Lightning and the zigzag symbol, painted in red, is also associated with the legendary Thunderbird. The Thunderbird is a powerful spirit in the form of a supernatural bird from which lightning flashed from its beak and its eyes.
Painted two feather. Same similar meaning as headdress.
Coup marks (studded).
Counting coup was the winning of prestige against an enemy by the Plains Indians of North America. Warriors won prestige by acts of bravery in the face of the enemy, which could be recorded in various ways and retold as stories