My father had this but I didn’t inherit it until a few years ago after my brother passed. In fact, I had never seen it before. I really don’t know what it is. I was thinking it was some kind of trench art. I thought it might be from WW2 because of the Nazi sign. Any information would be welcomed Deb
if u think that all swastikas are n-zi symbols, u have some learning needs be done ! NA North Eastern burl root club... nice...but not that old ( but the swastika could mean pre- 1935 ) ...and not that good.....compared to others.... the ones with indian faces, are of a latter version.... earlier ones had creepy faces, or animals ..or none at all.... A good killing weapon in the right hands....but mostly ceremonial.
Not sure why you had to throw me under the bus. After I posted I remembered the bronze bookends I had with a Native American symbol that resembled the nazi symbol, but I didn’t think I should confuse issues. All I wanted was some information, not an insult. Also, sorry mine is not up to your standards. I thought this forum was a friendly, informative place.
Please don't take offense. This is a place to learn and sometimes things get misinterpreted (maybe it's texting?), believe me, I know. You are allowed to forget and make mistakes and ask questions and not know everything. That is called being human.
Every one here is friendly.....except me !! And you are welcome for my time & effort to explain your items history and where it came from...... even though you seem not to have noticed that ! ..
These were also made at summer camps in the 30s and 40s. I had one for awhile that had the name of the camp and the campers who worked on it.
Welcome @Deb Tosoni . The swastika is an ancient sun symbol or energy symbol. It is used in many cultures, especially Shamanic ones, and seen a lot in Native American/First Nations (Shamanic) art. You may also have seen it on Buddhist items. The word itself is Sanskrit. In North America the symbol is also referred to as whirling log. Unfortunately it was abused during a period of recent world history. The way it was used during that period, counter-clockwise, is an ancient magico-Shamanic way to ensure a fast result. Fortunately the end of the period also came fast. Shamanism is the oldest form of spirituality in the world. The essence is balance and harmony between realities, using an intermediary for communication. The sun, and the sun's life-giving energy, play an important part. Magico-Shamanic is Shamanic with a focus on magic. Don't try this at home.
Swastika is definitely used by Navajo, but that is thousands of miles away from the Penobscot. As far as I can tell the swastika (whirling log) wouldn't have been a traditional Penobscot symbol, though in the 20th century could be adopted as an "indian" decoration as Navajo work became widely known. Here is a Maine museum collection of clubs with provenance from the Penobscot and nearby tribes, some decorated (no swastikas), some undecorated, which are like the ones komoka showed: https://abbemuseum.pastperfectonline.com/search?utf8=✓&search_criteria=club&searchButton=Search OP's also lacks the horns that almost all Penobscot clubs have; could be native american but I would assume it is made and decorated to look "indian", maker incorporating native american motifs without knowing which were appropriate. Could be from a summer camp? Here again, one of my favorite things about this forum is when I read about things I recognize which forces me to research the things I own. I grew up with a Maine vacation cabin adjacent to Passamaquoddy land (therefore close to Penobscot also). I've had this club with obvious age to it for a long time, was told it was authentic but never researched it until I saw komoka's pics. No obvious carved motifs but maybe that's a good thing. Came from Maine; 33" long.
