PeruPaddle war club from Peru, South America. Collected by Ronald Hawksby Thomas. Given to the Museum in 1923.

This long (over 1.5 metres) war club is beautifully carved with bands of geometric patterns in-filled with white. The blade is almost flat, making this weapon akin to a two-handed sword.

It was made by the Asháninka people of the Upper Ucayali River in Peru. The Asháninka consist of small family groups led by warrior-chiefs and were known historically for their fierce independence and strong resistance to incursions into their homeland by European Peruvians. Despite suppression and enslavement in the 19th and 20th centuries, they remain one of the largest remaining ethnic groups in the Amazon Basin.