Tomahawk (Pipe tomahawk or trade axe)

Description

Native American and European cultures visibly merge in this pipe tomahawk. During the colonial era, Native Americans introduced Europeans to smoking tobacco and were in turn, introduced to iron axes. Pipes and axes were first combined into pipe tomahawks in the early 1700s, usually forged by Europeans. They were gifted or traded to Native American leaders and also became popular among European military officers. This example, inscribed with the date “1761” was likely created by a French axe maker or a French Canadian armorer/gunsmith. Additional inscriptions inlaid in gold, silver, and brass include the names “A LEPOIVRES” and “FP LECOMTE” as well as images of the sun and moon. Silver bands encircle the wooden handle which is drilled as a pipe and is missing the mouthpiece that would have been inserted into the tip. The pipe tomahawk, while symbolic, was also a functional smoking pipe, a weapon, and a tool for trade and diplomacy. This overal form borrows from the basic design of a French trade hand axe or casse-tete. It is also called a pipe axe.