If we approach this object as a tool, it can best be described as a war club:
Before guns were widely available, clubs were the primary instrument of warfare in the Great Lakes. This ball-headed war club was carved from a single piece of wood with a dense knot forming the ‘ball.’ This heavy knot made a swing stronger and a strike harder, while the hooked curve of the shaft could redirect the blows of other weapons or disarm the opponent. A spike or blade could be embedded in the striking end to deadly effect. Clubs were gradually replaced by firearms, though clubs were still carried as part of warrior garb. Designs incised into the shaft might call upon certain powers for aid in battle, or describe the past victories of the bearer.