• The native American people of Maine are highly skilled wood carvers.Native American/ First Nation People Totem Carving image by Paul Knott from Fotolia.com
  
  The Native Americans of Maine have always had a special relationship with the birch tree. The birch provided wood from which they wove baskets, made canoes and made their wigwam shelters. They also used parts of the birch for medicine. The roots of the birch tree also had a special purpose. The Indians would use the root bundles of young gray or white birch trees to make clubs. The clubs traditionally had several purposes and today they are highly valued artifacts.
  
  

Ceremonial Clubs

• Root clubs were carved from the root bundle of immature gray birch trees for use in special ceremonies. The native peoples of the Penobscot and Wabanaki Indian Nations believed that they were helping to release spirits of woodland animals and birds through the carving of special symbols on the root clubs. Once the root clubs were carved, they would use them in dances and religious ceremonies.
  
  

War Clubs

• While some of the root clubs were used for ceremonies, others were used for a more-fierce purpose. War clubs were used in hand-to-hand combat with enemy tribes. These root clubs would be carved as well, but with symbols that would help the user defeat his enemy. Root clubs used for war were sturdier and stronger than those used for ceremony and had sturdy, pointy ends that could cause painful wounds or death to enemies during battle.
  
  

Root Club Art

• Members of Maine Indian Nations such as the Penobscot Tribe continue the tradition of carving root clubs from birch trees today. Stan Neptune is a member of the Penobscot tribe who is famous for his beautifully carved root clubs which are highly sought after by museums and collectors. These intricately carved clubs are created purely for art. The clubs are very valuable items, which helps to allow the Indian artists to continue the tradition that has been passed down to them for generations.