Tomahawk symbology

[Pancho Peacemaker]

For reasons I don't completely understand, I've gotten the itch to build me a tomahawk.  I purchased an nice carbon steel head last summer and a good hickory haft as well (unfinished).  The head sat in my garage long enough to get a nice light coat of surface rust which I buffed off last evening.  I scoured the surface with some oiled 0000 steel wool and it now has a nice "aged" look.

My question for native American history buffs:  Are there any important symbols that I need to be aware of with my tomahawk?  I've seen folks with turkey feathers, beads, and brass tacks adorning their personal tomahawks.  Any important symbolism to these?

Pancho

[Major 2]

"Are there any important symbols that I need to be aware of with my tomahawk?"

well ! there some that get their panties in bunch if'n' make the tomahawk chop symbol at "Noles' games 

Sorry ...back to the question 

[GunClick Rick]

Tomahawk crossed with a piece pipe is one i saw not long ago..

[Advertising]

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Pancho.....

I've seen folks with turkey feathers, beads, and brass tacks adorning their personal tomahawks.  Any important symbolism to these?

What folks, White, Indian, reenactors, CAS, hobbiest, boy scouts?
You can't lump all Indian tribes under one umbrella. Each tribe will have a different meaning. More then symbolism is how and why they were used during war and peacetime....

For instance Giiginaboo'diwiin, or striking the war post, was a term only heard in the eastern Algonquin speaking tribes until the motion pictures came along. The term Dondiimo'gidiodiin, or bury the tomahawk was another eastern term later used in motion pictures and then by the whites as bury the hatchet, Meaning lets make peace or be friendly(?).

Most western tribes the symbolism was less. The tomahawk was strictly a war implement unless it was uses in a ceremony....and those were different then war hawks.

I have more I just need to refresh my memory.

GunClick....There is no such thing as a peace pipe among Indians, other then in Hollywood, better term is Assiniboid'wion or stone ceremonial pipe...From the Assinaboin who at one time were great lakes Indians and still speak Algonquin today.......and they also smoked for pleasure. I don't think the crossed Tomahawk/pipe is an Indian symbol...I could be wrong.

Oh, Ceremonial hawks would be the only ones decorated with feathers and beads/quills, other then using paint for a war hawk.


Bill

[Pancho Peacemaker]

Pancho.....
What folks, White, Indian, reenactors, CAS, hobbiest, boy scouts?
You can't lump all Indian tribes under one umbrella. Each tribe will have a different meaning. More then symbolism is how and why they were used during war and peacetime....


Bill

I've seen a few handmade hawks (likely hobbist made) at gunshows.  I've also seen a few hanging off guncarts at various CAS events.  My post was an effort to find out a little more about the history of the tomahawk and to create mine with some thought and a nod to the cultures that used them.

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Pancho...
If I knew which tribe you are interested in, I could probably help you.

Bill

[ChuckBurrows]

You can't lump all Indian tribes under one umbrella. Each tribe will have a different meaning.

and to break that down even further each individual may have a different meaning for various items, designs, etc.  - amongst the western tribes in particular "medicine" was (and still often is) very personal - medicine comes to one in dreams, visions, and even by being purchased (see the bio of the Crow warrior Two Leggings for info on the latter)...........
as Bill implied symbolism is a difficult thing to discuss without noting who, when, and where - otherwise it's all generalizations and those are difficult to peg down - for instance a triangular design might symolize a mountain to one person and a tipi to another.

Most western tribes the symbolism was less. The tomahawk was strictly a war implement unless it was uses in a ceremony

Bill - kind of yes and no - depends on the period - while tomahawks were used for war into the 1880's many were also heavily decorated and used as symbols - in later years the heads were even made from cast pewter...

While it's true that symbolism was an important everyday fact in the old days for most Indians not everything was necessarily symbolic they liked things that just looked good whether symbolic or not - as good friend Pare Bowlegs (Oklahoma Seminole) once said - "Hey us NDNz like bright shiny things too!"

My suggestion is to take a look at sites like and see what the real thing looked like and then stay fairly generic (feathers, especially imitation eagle feathers, IMO are over done and do in fact have symbology not appropriate for use by those not "awarded" them):
www.bbhc.org - go to the online Plains Indian Museum
www.splendidheritage.com - searchable by area and tribe
http://www.nmai.si.edu/searchcollections/home.aspx
http://anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/databases/north_public/north_public.htm
Western auction sites like: Cowans, Gary Hendershott, and several others
and as many books as you can get on the subject - most of the post-1860 western hawks will have a drop or banner as decoration. IMO many if not most of the modern repros you find are too Hollywooded up and are not based on the real McCoy except in a very loose sense.

[Pancho Peacemaker]

Thanks gents,

How 'bout some ideas that would be particular to a tribe that was common in my area:  the Comanche

[Cole Bluesteele]

Pancho,

Email the boys at the FT. Parker club.  At one time there was a Comanche who would sell items he made at their shoots.  I have a real nice gord canteen he made.  Also you maight try Crazy Crow in Sherman.  www.crazycrow.comThey sell all kinds of Indian supplies.

Hope this helps,
Cole

[Roscoe Coles]

Be very specific about time and place.  The shape of tomahawks changes quite a bit over time and most of the one sold today don't actually look much like period ones.  There are exceptions but look at historical sources if you want a historical piece, not at what folks are toteing around, especially at most cas, or mountain man events.

Personally, I'm looking into a US patter boarding axe.  I'd have to come up with a reason why it was where it was but it would be 100% authentic and after I saw a bunch of New York City subway tokens nailed as decorations on a painted chair leg which was used as a quirt by the Soux, I kind of gave up on needing super hard explanations on how things got to the frontier.  Most things did sooner or later in one way or another. 

[Daniel Nighteyes]

You can't lump all Indian tribes under one umbrella.

Absolutely!!!!!!  They were by no means monolithic.  Although the cited numbers vary considerably, there were at least 500 distinctly different NDN nations in North America alone.

The tomahawk was strictly a war implement unless it was uses in a ceremony....  Ceremonial hawks would be the only ones decorated with feathers and beads/quills, other then using paint for a war hawk.

Generally agree, except some war implements were "decorated" with power symbols (for lack of a more descriptive term) that may have been other than paint.

Regards,

-- Nighteyes

[Pancho Peacemaker]

Generally agree, except some war implements were "decorated" with power symbols (for lack of a more descriptive term) that may have been other than paint.

Regards,

-- Nighteyes

Nighteyes,

What were some of the power symbols.  I realize these symbols were dependent which tribe we speak of, but I am interested in some examples.

Here is my tomahawk so far.

I bought these two 'junkers' at a gunshow in 07 for $20 total.  The green one is made of very poor quality steel.  I've still got it sitting around.  The head is a very modern looking design, so I don't think it will ever look "rustic", no matter what I do to it.

The black one was good carbon steel, but had a cheap black bake on finish and was held on the haft with duct tape.  I let it rust in my garage for 2 years.  I found a nice new hickory haft for it.  I removed the surface rust from the head, scoured it with steel wool soaked in Corrosion X.  Then I did a little custom file work and a little engraving with my dremel.  I also scortched and stained the haft.




Next I need to figure out some way to dress it up with power symbols or some other medicine to bring me good luck at NCOWS matches.

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Nighteyes,

What were some of the power symbols.  I realize these symbols were dependent which tribe we speak of, but I am interested in some examples.

[snip]

... I need to figure out some way to dress it up with power symbols or some other medicine to bring me good luck at NCOWS matches.

With all respect intended, there's no way I can answer that.  They were, and are, so personal, individual and spiritual, and identified or discovered in so many ways, that anything I could say would be meaningless.  It would be far better for you to ask yourself that question during a period of deep reflection.

Regards,

-- Nighteyes

[St. George]

Some were even used as pipes - with brass/bronze heads that were sold/traded with the handle serving as the stem.

The handle stems were bored out, using a red-hot piece of iron wire, and the ends shaped to fit the head and as a mouthpiece.

There are 'generally' carved decorations on these - lines and bands, mostly - with some minor tack decoration.

I have one that traces to the Lakotas.

Take a look at:  'Indian Trade Relics' - by Lar Hothem.

There are several pages involving tomahawks and pipe tomahawks and you'll see the types in use during the era, and I believe you can pick up a copy at Barnes and Noble's.

Were you closer - I'd loan you my spare.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Dr. Bob]

The tomahawk and pipe motif was found on US Indian Peace medals from T. Jefferson through the 1850's at least.  I would have to go find the books to be more specific on the end date, but through Zack Taylor for sure.

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Here lies the problem, pipe tomahawks were trade items from the white traders, some were given to chiefs during treaty talks or gifts of honor held in high esteem by those Indians receiving them. These hawks were put away and only brought out during special occasions.

The symbols on peace medals were struck by white mints and not Indian.......we need to separate the two. I tend to agree with Daniel that those symbols were personal but I've also seen examples of tribes sharing, or marked by clans. But this is the first time in my life I have heard the term Power Symbols and I've been an Indian all my life and deeply involved the red warrior society. If we are talking about medicine symbols then we need to use that term.

I've seen some hawks decorated with bird feathers usually secondary and fluffs. If you are not Indian and want to do this I would use fake feathers (dyed turkey) and not anything protected.

I have a pipe that has been in my family for over a hundred years...tomorrow I will take a photo of it. The decorations will give you an idea of what I mean.

Chuck B.....is right that some hawks were decorated with beads, quills, incised carvings (I have a very old one with relief carving with a rattle snake winding around the haft), but I still believe that these were mainly ceremonial and not for everyday use and I would have to see first and secondary documentation for me to believe other wise.

Bill

[Daniel Nighteyes]

But this is the first time in my life I have heard the term Power Symbols and I've been an Indian all my life and deeply involved the red warrior society. If we are talking about medicine symbols then we need to use that term.

Bill

Exactly why I followed the term with "for lack of a more descriptive term".  You see, my CRS is acting up again...

[St. George]

Here's a thought...

Take a look at 'Indian Trade Relics' by Hothem - and look at the Spanish axes...

They'd've been common in your area - and no doubt you could've picked up one after a skirmish - or traded for one.

That way, you're not concerned with any religious symbology, so long as you keep it pretty original in it's look.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[JohnR]

From the photos, neither of your appear to be pipe-tomahawks, but there many examples of similar style tomahawks in historical references.  If you can find a copy of "Tomahawks-Pipe Axes-Of the American Frontier" by John Baldwin, you will find it the best reference available on the subject.  I dealt in Native American antiques for many years, still collect, and this book became my primary reference on the subject. 

[JohnR]

Be very specific about time and place.  The shape of tomahawks changes quite a bit over time and most of the one sold today don't actually look much like period ones.  There are exceptions but look at historical sources if you want a historical piece, not at what folks are toteing around, especially at most cas, or mountain man events.

I have to respectfully disagree Roscoe.  With one exception, most commercially available modern tomahawks and pipe-axes that I know of, including the inexpensive cast brass and steel, are very close copies of historical examples.  I can find many historic examples that closely match modern commercial examples, many of which are made in India today.  Most of these modern reproductions are cast from originals.

Most of the earliest documented examples were forged, so all were different in their details even with the common characteristics of their era.  Cast examples are known to have been available as trade items before 1800.  And finally, there are many examples of tomahawks/pipe-axes that bear the characteristics of early craftsmanship and which were undoubtedly originally traded in the east are known to have been in use in the west in the 1800s.  Many such examples exist that were collected in the latter part of the 19th century and later in the west.  In addition, archaeological excavations in both the eastern and western United States and Canada have yielded nearly identical examples of early style tomahawks.