When people think of American Indian weapons, the bow and arrow is usually the first thing that springs to mind-- and for good reason. Nearly every Native American tribe used some form of bow and arrow as a weapon for hunting, war, or both. Some tribes, particularly in South America, even used bows and arrows for fishing. Bows and arrows have been used in the Americas since the Stone Age, so different tribes had plenty of time to perfect this weapon technology. Scientists have learned that the oldest Paleo-Indian arrowheads discovered in North America are more than 13,000 years old! Some arrowheads made by Native American ancestors were even found together with the bones of extinct prehistoric animals like woolly mammoths and giant bison.
Native American Spears Spears are another kind of Native American weapon that dates back to ancient times. Like bows and arrows, spears were used for both hunting and warfare. Native American spears were particularly powerful weapons due to the special atlatls (also known as spear-throwers, throwing-sticks, or throwing boards) the Indians used to launch their spears. An atlatl is a thin wooden shaft with a hollowed-out cup at the end. By balancing the butt of the spear in the cup and then swinging the atlatl, Native American hunters and warriors could increase their leverage to hurl spears much faster and further than they could using their arms alone.
Native American War Clubs Clubs are the simplest form of American Indian weapon. Clubs have been used in every human society known to history and can be as simple as a heavy stick of wood. When people talk about "Native American clubs," however, they are usually referring specifically to war clubs, a stylized type of wooden or stone club with a heavy rounded head (sometimes also with a single spike.) These mace-like weapons were not used for hunting; they were used for warfare, duels, and executions, or for ceremonial purposes.
Native American Tomahawks and Axes Although stone axes had been used as tools and ritual objects by Native Americans for millenia, the axe did not become popular as a weapon until after Europeans had introduced iron and steel to native tribes. In fact, the word "tomahawk"-- which is now synonymous with Indian-style fighting hatchets-- originally referred to a war club in the Powhatan language. Once steel became available, however, axes with metal heads eclipsed the more old-fashioned war clubs as the Native American melee weapon of choice, and the word "tomahawk" began to be widely used to refer to this style of weapon.