Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

M ELEY · 1st February 2020, 08:59 AM

Hello Rick! Good to see you on this half of the Forum for a change! I would agree first of all that this is indeed a trade spike hatchet, or tomahawk. Just like boarding axes, there might be differing opinions about camp axes, fire axes, etc, but I feel confident that this is a trade piece. The 'bearded' blade form were popular pre-1850 and I feel comfortable saying yours is in the 1830's-50's range. There were bearded axes from the earlier periods, certainly, but yours is more refined and modern than those. Spanish trade pieces were the start of this form (crescent shaped edge). Post-1850 axe heads were cast pieces usually with the makers on them. This was because the U.S. government started demanding that these cast 'tools' be so marked to make sure they weren't sold to Native Americans to be used as weapons. Many of the tool makers ignored the law, still made cast spike head axes and sold them to the Indians! Yours looks hand forged and certainly not one of the 'tool' patterns. Cast heads started as early as the 1830's, with so called trip-hammer examples, so it still might be cast. The shape of the head is amazing and I've actually seen others that closely resemble this pattern. Check out Hartzler's book on tomahawks and you'll see several like yours.

It is important to remember that 'tomnahawks', (as they were first called when the white explorers first stated coming to America) were an important tool and weapon of the early frontier. The classic pipe tomahawk came much later into the early 19th c. The fur traders carried them throughout the Hudson River valley and colonial soldiers also. The spike-types were also popular with Native Americans and that book I mentioned has old tintype pics of native chiefs armed with them. Of course, without provenance, all we can say is that it is a spike ax/tomahawk like the type used by all the above mentioned. The hole near the butt would probably have had a lanyard to wrap around the wrist.

These types are becoming harder and harder to find and capture great prices! I am envious of your find, my friend!

Mark

1st February 2020, 08:59 AM	#3
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,066	Nice! Hello Rick! Good to see you on this half of the Forum for a change! I would agree first of all that this is indeed a trade spike hatchet, or tomahawk. Just like boarding axes, there might be differing opinions about camp axes, fire axes, etc, but I feel confident that this is a trade piece. The 'bearded' blade form were popular pre-1850 and I feel comfortable saying yours is in the 1830's-50's range. There were bearded axes from the earlier periods, certainly, but yours is more refined and modern than those. Spanish trade pieces were the start of this form (crescent shaped edge). Post-1850 axe heads were cast pieces usually with the makers on them. This was because the U.S. government started demanding that these cast 'tools' be so marked to make sure they weren't sold to Native Americans to be used as weapons. Many of the tool makers ignored the law, still made cast spike head axes and sold them to the Indians! Yours looks hand forged and certainly not one of the 'tool' patterns. Cast heads started as early as the 1830's, with so called trip-hammer examples, so it still might be cast. The shape of the head is amazing and I've actually seen others that closely resemble this pattern. Check out Hartzler's book on tomahawks and you'll see several like yours. It is important to remember that 'tomnahawks', (as they were first called when the white explorers first stated coming to America) were an important tool and weapon of the early frontier. The classic pipe tomahawk came much later into the early 19th c. The fur traders carried them throughout the Hudson River valley and colonial soldiers also. The spike-types were also popular with Native Americans and that book I mentioned has old tintype pics of native chiefs armed with them. Of course, without provenance, all we can say is that it is a spike ax/tomahawk like the type used by all the above mentioned. The hole near the butt would probably have had a lanyard to wrap around the wrist. These types are becoming harder and harder to find and capture great prices! I am envious of your find, my friend! Mark Last edited by M ELEY; 1st February 2020 at 10:38 AM.