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American Indian Relics
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American Indian Spontoon Tomahawk (Item AMINDIAN 1-1) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is a classic example of a pipe tomahawk as used by several of the Indian tribes. It is a genuine antique offering probably dating in the 1850s to possibly 1880. Only the head is a trade article bartered to the tribes by trappers, mountain men, and Indian traders, who made a professional swapping for furs and horses. These tomahawks were precious to the Red Man as they were an item of pride and prestige. This one is of a type known as a spontoon tomahawk. These pipe tomahawks served double purpose in their original roles and they functioned as a weapon only. Many of those models were designed to slip off the haft in the proper backwards direction so that the tomahawk fit was tight and so the head could be removed and used as a knife held in the hand. This spontoon pipe ax changes in shape in the time of the Western adventure so in museums throughout the nation several different versions can be seen. The one we offer here is a very typical one. Spontoons were used both in the West by the Sioux, Cheyenne, Blackfoot, Crow, etc., but they were also used earlier by Chippewa, Iroquois, Huron, and other Great Lakes culture groups. The heads were regularly produced in iron forges in many major cities in Britain, France, and the original American colonies. After the introduction by Europeans of the pipe tomahawk its popularity by the natives never waned; they loved them. The pride of ownership excelled even the regard of the warriors' horses and often their squaws. We often see in various museum collections beautiful examples of extremely elaborate decorations that were added to the heads and hafts of these coveted weapons. The White Man supplied the blacksmith-forged head; the Red Man did the decoration. Insets were added in silver, brass, and pewter—this example has pewter decor. The pewter was often cut from dishes and pots also traded to the tribes by white entrepreneurs. The head of this “hawk” is also inset making it a superb example of the pipe ax. The pipe features were mostly novelty and the axes were seldom used as a smoking implement. We have never in any archive seen one being smoked. Just the fact that it could be used thusly made it more valuable and desirable to these proud warriors of the forests and plains. This piece is an excellent spontoon example and is a long one at 23 inches and the ax head is 8 inches from the end of the pipe bowl to the point. Hand-decorated inlay in pewter adorn both head and haft. The mouthpiece is in crafted elk horn. The haft seems to be possibly curly maple. The top of the haft beyond the head is also crafted bone. There is a stamp just under the bottom of the heart open work that might be the logo of the blacksmith or an early museum control mark. There is a hole drilled into the stock halfway probably for beaded or feathered decoration to be applied. They don't come much better than this one.
PRICE: $2,800.00; extremely reasonable |
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Plains Indian Pipe Tomahawk (Item AMINDIAN 1-2) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is a magnificent brass-headed pierced tomahawk of the last style used in the history of the tomahawk. The head and blade are of the distinctive triangular shape with a brass-tack studded haft and elongated pipe bowl. By the time this brass-headed ax was crafted, the Indians of the plains were coming to an end and the tomahawk was something to pose with for pictures taken by frontier photographers like Matthew Brady. This style is strictly the favored type traded to and carried by Plains Indians such as Sioux, Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Crow. The brass tacks used liberally on this hawks haft show it to be after 1880. This decoration method remained popular. Cast brass tacks are the earliest form; however, all types of tax and brass nails were used as decoration throughout the pipe-tomahawk era. All sorts of pierced blades have also been encountered; the heart cutouts being always most popular, but other shapes were legion. The Christian cross was recognized by the Native Americans as a symbol of much power regardless of whether the warrior remained pagan or embraced the white man's religion. The example we offer here has the typical cross trade pieces brought by French trappers and traders; thus, the cross of Lorraine-style cross. This hawk has a “drop.” This is an attachment used as additional decor on a prized tomahawk. Often they are beaded with elaborate design, but in this case the drop is a section of buffalo tail attached to an 8 inch piece of porcupine-quill work. This is rare, and it is 100 percent authentic to the 1880s style craftsmanship of the Central Plains culture groups. The haft is 100 percent original with file burnings. The Indians would take a traded wood file and heat it then make designs on the haft. This is typical of the Sioux. The ax is 23 inches long and the head is 12 1/2 inches from the head of the bowl to the edge of the blade. The blade is 5 inches wide. The drop is backed in Pioneer gingham. This was a cloth favored by and sold or traded to the Indians regularly by Indian trading posts in forts and reservations. For information and pictures we have used the great book Tomahawks Pipe Axes of the American Frontier by John Baldwin. This hawk is one of the finest we have ever seen and belongs in a museum or and a fine collection of spectacular items of the American West.
PRICE: $12,000.00 |
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Please refer to item designator in parentheses in all correspondence.
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