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Tomahawks are lightweight axes native to North America, historically used for hunting, self-defense, warfare, and religious ceremonies. The term comes from the Algonquian word “tamahak” meaning “blade”. Europeans developed metal tomahawks for trading with Native American tribes and some theorize that the pipe tomahawk design originated with Europeans. Tomahawks continue to be used and collected for historical interest, and are a standard issue tool for some members of the US military.
A tomahawk is a type of ax native to North America. Classically, tomahawks are lightweight with a short handle. This tool has a long history in North America, and tomahawks continue to be manufactured and used for a variety of purposes, from traditional religious ceremonies to more mundane applications. Some very interesting examples of historic tomahawks can be seen on display in some North American museums, especially those that collect Native American artifacts.
The term “tomahawk” comes from the Algonquian word tamahak, which really just meant “blade”. Settlers in the 1600s included the word in several Native American glossaries and writings, indicating they were familiar with the concept, and over time, the term came to be used specifically to refer to an axe, rather than any type of blade. Settlers also referred to all Native American axes as tomahawks, despite the fact that most tribes had their own terms for these tools.
For Native Americans, the tomahawk was an all-purpose tool. The head was usually made of stone, tied to the wound with rawhide straps, and the ax could be used for hunting, self-defense, warfare, chopping wood, and a variety of other tasks. People carried their axes with them and maintained them regularly to keep them sharp and in good condition, and members of various tribes also traded and swapped tools, ensuring that design innovations spread.
The tomahawk also held ceremonial importance to some Native American tribes. Just as Europeans would lay down their arms to attend peace conferences or in the presence of royalty, some Native Americans also set aside their tomahawks as a gesture of respect in these situations. Ceremonial versions with carvings and ornate decoration were used in religious ceremonies, and some tribes had pipe tomahawks, in which the ax handle doubled as a pipe.
Europeans quickly realized the value of the tomahawk to many of the tribes they traded with and developed commercial tomahawks made from metal heads for the purpose of trading with Native American tribes. Some theorists have also suggested that the tomahawk pipe design may have originated with European creatives, not Native Americans, as it emerged in the 1700s and many of the earliest recorded instances of the design involve gifts made by Europeans to tribal leaders.
Some people continue to use tomahawks as tools in North America and others collect them for historical interest. The tomahawk is also a standard issue tool for some members of the United States military, where it is used for everything from close quarters combat to breaking open supply cases.
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