North America | USA
Tomahawk
USA
Tomahawk war axe
Plains, U.S.A.
19th century
Wood, metal, horsehair, leather
Height : 46 cm – 18 ¼ in.
Provenance
Collection Trevor Barton (1920-2008), United Kingdom
Christie’s London, “The Trevor Barton Unusual Collection of Smoking Pipes”, September 2010, lot 609
Collection Michel Zerolo, Paris
Tomahawk 46 cm / Galerie Flak
On request
The tomahawk embodies a striking duality: on one side, the axe — a symbol of war; on the other, the pipe — a herald of peace.
Depending on which side was presented to one’s counterpart, one could expect the worst… or the best!
To the Plains Indians, pipe tomahawks held deep symbolic and social significance. These remarkable hybrid objects — both weapon and ceremonial pipe — were immortalized by early explorers such as Karl Bodmer, who depicted them in the hands of distinguished warriors.
According to a study by R. Louis in « Tools and Weaponry of the Frontiersman and Indian » the term "tomahawk" is a derivation of the Algonquian words "tamahak" or "tamahakan". The earliest definitions of these words (in the early 1600s) applied to stone-headed implements used as tools and weapons. Subsequent references involved all manner of striking weapons; wood clubs, stone-headed axes, metal trade hatchets, etc. With the exception of very few blades made by Native American blacksmiths, tomahawks were manufactured on a large scale in Europe or created by individual makers in America.
The end of the head opposite the cutting edge provided a place for a spike, hammer poll, or most ingeniously, a pipe bowl.
The present example comes from the renowned collection of Trevor Barton, an English collector. Mr. Barton began collecting pipes and other tobacco-related items in 1947, and assembled one of the most remarkable collections of pipes from around the world, with a particular focus on North America. The Trevor Barton Unusual Collection of Smoking Pipes was sold by Christie’s, London, in September 2010; this tomahawk was listed as lot 609 in that sale.
Depending on which side was presented to one’s counterpart, one could expect the worst… or the best!
To the Plains Indians, pipe tomahawks held deep symbolic and social significance. These remarkable hybrid objects — both weapon and ceremonial pipe — were immortalized by early explorers such as Karl Bodmer, who depicted them in the hands of distinguished warriors.
According to a study by R. Louis in « Tools and Weaponry of the Frontiersman and Indian » the term "tomahawk" is a derivation of the Algonquian words "tamahak" or "tamahakan". The earliest definitions of these words (in the early 1600s) applied to stone-headed implements used as tools and weapons. Subsequent references involved all manner of striking weapons; wood clubs, stone-headed axes, metal trade hatchets, etc. With the exception of very few blades made by Native American blacksmiths, tomahawks were manufactured on a large scale in Europe or created by individual makers in America.
The end of the head opposite the cutting edge provided a place for a spike, hammer poll, or most ingeniously, a pipe bowl.
The present example comes from the renowned collection of Trevor Barton, an English collector. Mr. Barton began collecting pipes and other tobacco-related items in 1947, and assembled one of the most remarkable collections of pipes from around the world, with a particular focus on North America. The Trevor Barton Unusual Collection of Smoking Pipes was sold by Christie’s, London, in September 2010; this tomahawk was listed as lot 609 in that sale.
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