Previous studies on violence have focused on patterns of trauma based on bioarchaeological studies of human remains or on architectural features such as palisades, towers, and protected locations. Artifacts used as weapons in conflict have received less attention. Most weapons, particularly war clubs, were made wholly of organic materials that decompose, resulting in low visibility in the archaeological record that creates a challenge for reconstructing their form and potential specialized role in conflict. Using an interdisciplinary approach, historically recorded use of clubs was linked with precontact evidence of blunt force trauma to better understand the usage of different types of war clubs found in southern California. War clubs were recreated with replicative experimentation and then tested in biomechanical experiments to measure lethality and to record likely patterns of associated trauma. Patterns of trauma recorded in experiments were representative of trauma patterns seen in pre-contact/proto-historic case studies. As the presence of war clubs in warfare is well-documented across Indigenous North America, this framework for testing tactics and types of weapons permits cross-cultural comparisons to better inform the practices and impact of weapons in human conflict and violence.

先前的暴力研究基于对人类遗骸的生物考古学研究或基于木栅栏，塔楼和受保护地点等建筑特征，重点关注创伤的形式。用作冲突武器的人工制品受到的关注较少。大多数武器，特别是战争俱乐部，完全由可分解的有机材料制成，导致考古记录中的可见度较低，这给重建其形式和在冲突中的潜在特殊作用带来了挑战。使用跨学科方法，将俱乐部的历史记录使用与钝力创伤的预接触证据相关联，以更好地了解在加利福尼亚南部发现的各种类型的战争俱乐部的用法。通过复制实验重新创建了作战俱乐部，然后在生物力学实验中对其进行了测试，以测量杀伤力并记录相关创伤的可能模式。实验中记录的创伤模式代表了在接触前/原始历史案例研究中看到的创伤模式。由于在整个北美土著地区都有充分记录的战争俱乐部在战争中的存在，因此该测试战术和武器类型的框架允许进行跨文化比较，以便更好地了解武器的作法和对人类冲突和暴力的影响。