Western Europe, England, ca. 18th to 19th century CE. A handsome peace pipe tomahawk consisting of a wooden handle decorated with brass tacks and an iron blade with a cutout crucifix motif. Iron headed tomahawks were ceremonial gifts the European settlers would trade with the Native Americans to ensure harmonious relationships. The head features a flat blade with an openwork cross shape. A central socket secures the head to the handle, and the butt end is a cylindrical receptacle for holding tobacco. A hole is drilled under the metal receptacle into the wood handle. The handle is diamond shaped with four faceted faces and at the pommel tip is a protrusion to serve as the mouthpiece for drawing smoke into the hollow handle for inhalation. Size: 19" L x 8.5" W (48.3 cm x 21.6 cm)

The Penn Museum's article by Margaret Bruchac and Kayla Holmes, "Investigating a Pipe Tomahawk," investigates the merging of European iron axes and Native American smoking pipes: "While the history seems to suggest that iron tomahawks were European creations introduced into Native society, it is unclear who decided to bring the pipe and the tomahawk together. There are two possible origin stories. One possibility is that pipe tomahawks were first manufactured by blacksmiths in Europe or America who "recognized the advantages of bringing the two objects together" as a clever gadget, a new negotiation tool. A more intriguing possibility is that a Native man familiar with metal working (likely one who had apprenticed to a Euro-American blacksmith) constructed the first pipe tomahawk to create something to demonstrate an Indigenous concept: a Native offering of peace could be met with ferocity if any betrayal occurred. In other words, this object signaled: "Peace or War – Your Choice.""

Provenance: ex-Anchorage, Alaska, USA collection

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#166741

Surface wear, scratches, and abrasions to wooden handle. The iron head has areas of russet patina and nicks to the blade edge. The head is slightly loose but secure on the handle.