1880's period and found from the Rocky Mountains to Wisconsin & thought to be made by a single blacksmith. This style of spontoon pipe tomahawk with the diamond shaped blade without spurs/projections, decorated blade & long tapered cylindrical bowl is indicative of what early writers/collectors in 1904 termed 'Minnewaukan' from the ca. All that can be done is to utilize our best information & be willing to alter it if its found to be in error. With very limited information available on a specific tomahawk style there are bound to be faulty assumptions made. Styles did seem to follow trends that help us determine the time period of manufacture although some of those conclusions are not as consistent as we might prefer. There was no significant standardization of style for each tribe that would support conclusions. When Indians were presented pipe tomahawks such as in Washington DC there often was an assortment of tribes represented & an assortment of pipe tomahawks presented to them. It hardly ever works that way & there is no evidence to support that conclusion. I've noticed some authors have attempted to connect a particular style to a tribe based on previously known ones. Few whites comprehended the importance of that sacred holy act to them. Some late examples were not meant to be used as weapons but rather as a ceremonial smoking item. Ash was particularly popular because the saplings pithy core could be easily burned out with a red hot poker for a smoke hole. Although any wood could be used they often used ash, Osage Orange for it's resistance to decay, or curly maple when the KY/PA rifle makers made them. Many were made in Sheffield, England, France & in North America. But they were also very symbolic in that they could be used both for war and for peace. During the French & Indian War (1754-1761) they began to be made in large numbers to tribes allied with Britain and France. They were multipurpose tools in the sense they could be used in war and for smoking rather than carrying both items separately and the earliest ones known are from the late 1740's. The same was true during the fur trade era however many of these were presented as presents to the chiefs of tribes to encourage their loyalty, some with elaborate and expensive inlays and craftsmanship. Pipe tomahawks are probably the most coveted of the trade tomahawks and usually the most expensive.
0 kommentar(er)
