Also likely significant is that before Jack 's behavior starts becoming aberrant, he is seen throwing a tennis ball hard against Amerindian artwork on the walls and floor, and just a few feet over a mounted buffalo head (which was an animal key to the Plains Indians ' economy and culture before it was hunted and slaughtered nearly to extinction in the 19th century, mostly by Euro - Americans). Later, Jack murders Halloran, and tries to murder his family, using an axe, which resembles the tomahawk, a frequently depicted weapon of the Amerindians.
what weapon did jack use in the shining
an axe