Tomahawk Pipe 10" Long, Brass & Wood, Decorated by American Indian Artist

Description

Tomahawk Pipe Brass & Wood, Decorated by American Indian Artist in Excellent Complete Condition.
The crossed tomahawk and peace pipe (calumet) have long been a New World symbol of peace and has appeared in many Indian Peace Medal designs. This tomahawk was photographed and described for the book excerpted below. The tomahawk history is an interesting read.
The author, who is a member of an Indian nation, bought it 20 years ago and it comes with a Certificate of Authenticity that describes the decoration materials and includes the name of the Native American artist who decorated it, “Spirit Warrior.” Unfortunately, this COA does not have a location or address. (It is not known where the tomahawk itself was manufactured.)
While this brass and wood tomahawk appears to be functional as a pipe, it has not been tested as such and therefore is not guaranteed to function as a pipe. The tomahawk
is 10.25 inches long, and the blade is 3.25 inches long and 1 inch wide. The edge of the blade is not sharp as this is a display item.
These excerpts are from the book, “Indian Peace Medals and Related items, Collecting Symbols of Peace and Friendship," (2005) by Rita Laws, Ph.D. and are used by permission.
Page 132
(Photo Caption) “A European Designed Pipeaxe Or Brass Tomahawk With A Wooden Handle, Made For Today’s Tourist Trade.
This one has been decorated in the traditional manner by an American Indian. Decorations include deer and elk leather, beads, turkey and pheasant feathers, and a small amount of rabbit fur….”
“The Tomahawk
or Axe
The vast majority of Americans know that the phrase “bury the hatchet” means “to make peace,” but they don’t know that this phrase is tied to Indian Peace Medal presentation ceremonies….. The tomahawk, or hatchet, or Indian axe, has become a fixture in American culture…
The tomahawk is a symbol of war except when crossed with a calumet. In such instances, it becomes a symbol of peace, or a symbol of peace that follows conflict. In addition to smoking a communal peace pipe, it was customary among some tribes to cease hostilities by ceremoniously burying a hatchet in the ground. This was not a meaningless ritual. There had to be genuine sentiment behind it. No Indian would bury the hatchet in the earth if there were no real intention to give peace a chance.
…The term “tomahawk” comes from an Algonquian Indian word, “tamahak.” In the seventeenth century, a tomahawk was a wooden club with a stone head, used for war and as a tool. Eventually, the new arrivals took note at how much Indians wanted and needed tools made of metal for durability. A metal tomahawk was devised, made of iron with a steel cutting edge, or brass and steel. At the top of the hollow handle, a pipe bowl was added. Thus was born the combination metal tomahawk-pipe, a European invention, of European creation, but traded heavily with Indians of many tribes. The Indians used them primarily as tomahawks.
To this day, brass tomahawk-pipes (without steel edges), sometimes decorated with leather, beads, and fur, are a popular item with tourists who visit the Western United States. Most of them have no idea that while the tomahawk part of this metal implement was highly prized by American Indians for two centuries, the item was not made by them….” End of excerpts.
Copyright (c) 2005 Rita Laws
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