Tomahawk

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Tomahawk (disambiguation).
Pipe tomahawk
Modern commercial tomahawk

A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft.[1][2] In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and European settlers later introduced heads of iron and steel. The term came into the English language in the 17th century as an adaptation of the Powhatan (Virginian Algonquian) word.

Tomahawks were general-purpose tools used by Native Americans and later the European colonials with whom they traded, and often employed as a hand-to-hand weapon. The metal tomahawk heads were originally based on a Royal Navy boarding axe (a lightweight hand axe designed to cut through boarding nets when boarding hostile ships) and used as a trade-item with Native Americans for food and other provisions.[1][2]

Etymology

The name comes from

Malecite-Passamaquoddy tomhikon, and Abenaki demahigan, all of which mean 'axe'.[5][6]

History

Nez Perce
tomahawk

The

Algonquian people created the tomahawk. Before Europeans came to the continent, Native Americans would use stones, sharpened by a process of knapping and pecking,[7] attached to wooden handles, secured with strips of rawhide. The tomahawk quickly spread from the Algonquian culture
to the tribes of the South and the Great Plains.

Native Americans created a tomahawk’s poll, the side opposite the blade, which consisted of a hammer, spike or pipe. These became known as pipe tomahawks, which consisted of a bowl on the poll and a hollowed out shaft.[8] These were created by European and American artisans for trade and diplomatic gifts for the tribes.[9]

Composition

Inlaid tomahawk pipe bowl, early 19th century, Brooklyn Museum

The tomahawk's original designs were fitted with heads of bladed or rounded stone or deer antler.[3][10]

A pipe tomahawk dating to the early 19th century

According to Mike Haskew, the modern tomahawk shaft is usually less than 2 ft (61 cm) in length, traditionally made of hickory, ash, or maple.

pipe of peace, the other an axe of war.[1][2][11]

In colonial French territory, a different tomahawk design, closer to the ancient European francisca, was in use by French settlers and local peoples.[11] In the late 18th century, the British Army issued tomahawks to their colonial regulars during the American Revolutionary War as a weapon and tool.[12]

Modern use

Tomahawks are useful in camping and bushcraft scenarios. They are mostly used as an alternative to a hatchet, as they are generally lighter and slimmer than hatchets. They often contain other tools in addition to the axe head, such as spikes or hammers.[13]

Traditional form tomahawk

Modern, non-traditional tomahawks were used by selected units of the

Emerson Knives, Inc.[14] A similar wood handle Vietnam tomahawk is produced today by Cold Steel.[14]

Many of these modern tomahawks are made of

drop forged, differentially heat treated, alloy steel.[16] The differential heat treatment allows for the chopping portion and the spike to be harder than the middle section, allowing for a shock-resistant body with a durable temper.[16]

Tomahawk throwing competitions

Francisca forged in modern Tomahawk shape design from cannon steel from the Leopard I battle tank

Tomahawk throwing[17] is a popular sport among American and Canadian historical reenactment groups, and new martial arts such as Okichitaw have begun to revive tomahawk fighting techniques used during the colonial era.[18] Tomahawks are a category within competitive knife throwing. Today's hand-forged tomahawks are being made by master craftsmen throughout the United States.[14][19]

Today, there are many events that host tomahawk throwing competitions.[20]

The tomahawk competitions have regulations concerning the type and style of tomahawk used for throwing. There are special throwing tomahawks made for these kinds of competitions. Requirements such as a minimum handle length and a maximum blade edge (usually 4 in [100 mm]) are the most common tomahawk throwing competition rules.[20]

Military application

A US Army soldier throws a tomahawk as part of the Top Tomahawk competition at Forward Operating Base Spin Boldak in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Tomahawks were used by individual members of the

OIF 2007–2008) and numerous other soldiers.[14][16] The tomahawk was issued a NATO stock number (4210-01-518-7244) and classified as a "Class 9 rescue kit" as a result of a program called the Rapid Fielding Initiative; it is also included within every Stryker vehicle as the "modular entry tool set".[14][16] This design enjoyed something of a renaissance with US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan as a tool and in use in hand-to-hand combat.[21]

Law enforcement

The tomahawk has gained some respect from members of various law enforcement tactical (i.e. "SWAT") teams. Some companies have seized upon this new popularity and are producing "tactical tomahawks". These SWAT-oriented tools are designed to be both useful and relatively light. Some examples of "tactical tomahawks" include models wherein the shaft is designed as a Pry Bar.

Modern tomahawk fighting

There are not many systems worldwide which teach fighting skills with the axe or a tomahawk to civilians. .

In the 20th and 21st century, tomahawks have been prominently featured in films and video games (e.g.

Last of the Mohicans; The Patriot; Jonah Hex; Prey; Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter;[22] Bullet to the Head; Red Dead Redemption and its sequel, and Assassin's Creed III),[23][24] leading to increased interest among the public. Tomahawks are among the weapons used in the Filipino martial art escrima.[25]

Manufacturers

Modern tomahawk manufacturers include:

See also

References

  1. ^
    Blade Magazine
    . 30 (9): 26–34.
  2. ^
    Blade Magazine
    . 33 (9): 30–37.
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-618-06509-1
    .
  4. ^ "tëmahikàn". Lenape Talking Dictionary. Retrieved October 27, 2012. The Lenape root təmə- means 'to cut off' and the suffix -hikan forms the names of tools
  5. ISBN 978-1-4389-6661-8
    .
  6. ISBN 978-3-11-014335-5
    .
  7. ^ "History and Origins of the Tomahawk". Tomahawk History. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  8. doi:10.1215/00141801-52-3-589
    – via The Cupola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College.
  9. ^ "Tomahawk History". Hawk Throwing. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  10. ISBN 0806133465
    . Retrieved 2012-11-17. The wooden ballheaded club at this time was also generally referred to as a 'tomahawk'
  11. ^
    Blade Magazine
    . 28 (9): 12–19.
  12. ^ Dick, Steven (2002-05-01). "Frontier Hatchets still On Duty". Tactical Knives. 10 (5): 43–47.
  13. ISBN 0-89689-390-1.[permanent dead link
    ]
  14. ^
    Blade Magazine
    : 12–19.
  15. ^ "Marines Stuck On Tomahawk" (PDF). The Pittsburgh Press. February 25, 1968. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 25, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  16. ^ a b c d Emerson, Ernest (2007). "The Modern Tomahawk". American Handgunner: 15.
  17. ^ "How to Throw a Tomahawk". Hatchets and Axes. February 23, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  18. ^ Taillon, Joan (September 1, 2004). "Toronto martial arts group visits North Korea". The Aboriginal Newspaper of Ontario. Vol. 3, no. 8. p. 2. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  19. ^ "Tomahawk Makes Front Page News in San Francisco" (PDF). Mountaineer-Herald. January 25, 1968. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 22, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  20. ^ a b "Tomahawk Throwing Competitions". Awesome Axes. January 1, 2022.
  21. ^ Tillett, David (April 15, 2003). "Lethal Weapon:Historic Tomahawk Returns to the Battlefield with Some U.S. Troops". ABC News. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
  22. OCLC 458890478
    .
  23. ISBN 9781621545316
    .
  24. ISBN 9781482021271
    .
  25. ISBN 978-1-58160-729-1
    .
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