North America, United States, ca. 18th to 19th century CE. A handsome trading axe or peace pipe tomahawk consisting of a polished tiger maple wood handle and an iron blade. Iron headed tomahawks were ceremonial gifts the European settlers would trade with the Native Americans to ensure harmonious relationships. This head features a flat blade with an incised X or cross shape. A central socket secures the head to the handle, and the butt end is a cylindrical receptacle for holding tobacco. Usually, a hole is drilled under the metal receptacle into the wood handle and at the pommel tip of the wood has a protrusion to serve as the mouthpiece for drawing smoke, however, this handle is not pierced on the head end, and might be a newer replacement. Size: 18.5" L x 6" W (47 cm x 15.2 cm)
The Penn Museum's article by Margaret Bruchac and Kayla Holmes, "Investigating a Pipe Tomahawk," investigates the merging of European iron axes and Native American smoking pipes: "While the history seems to suggest that iron tomahawks were European creations introduced into Native society, it is unclear who decided to bring the pipe and the tomahawk together. There are two possible origin stories. One possibility is that pipe tomahawks were first manufactured by blacksmiths in Europe or America who "recognized the advantages of bringing the two objects together" as a clever gadget, a new negotiation tool. A more intriguing possibility is that a Native man familiar with metal working (likely one who had apprenticed to a Euro-American blacksmith) constructed the first pipe tomahawk to create something to demonstrate an Indigenous concept: a Native offering of peace could be met with ferocity if any betrayal occurred. In other words, this object signaled: "Peace or War - Your Choice.""
Provenance: private Burlington, North Carolina, USA collection; ex-A to Z Auctions; ex-James Pratley estate, Galveston, Texas, USA before 2000
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#167866
Condition
Handle is not original and is not pierced on the head end for inhalation. Highly polished wood with nice graining. The iron has areas of heavy russet patina and surface pitting. Cavities and abrasions to iron head near the socket and butt end.