Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Tomahawk
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
==Composition== [[File:Inlaid Tomahawk Pipe Bowl, early 19th century, 50.67.103.jpg|thumb|left|Inlaid tomahawk pipe bowl, early 19th century, [[Brooklyn Museum]]]] === Original models === The tomahawk's original designs were fitted with heads of bladed or rounded stone or deer antler.<ref name="Cutler 2002 139"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Colin F. |title=Native American Weapons |year=2001 |publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]] |location=Norman, Okla. |isbn=0806133465 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JYSqNL0LPsAC&pg=PA30 |access-date=2012-11-17 |page=30 |quote=The wooden ballheaded club at this time was also generally referred to as a 'tomahawk'}}</ref> [[File:Tomakawk.jpg|thumb|left|A pipe tomahawk dating to the early 19th century]] According to Mike Haskew, the modern tomahawk shaft is usually less than {{convert|2|ft|cm|abbr=on}} in length, traditionally made of hickory, ash, or maple.<ref name="PH"/><ref name= "SSH">{{cite journal |last=Haskew |first=Mike |title=Star-Spangled Hawks Take Wing |journal=[[Blade (magazine)|Blade]] |date=2006-09-01 |pages=30β37 |volume=33 |issue=9 }}</ref><ref name="LL"/> The heads weigh anywhere from {{convert|9| to |20|oz|g|abbr=on}}, with a cutting edge usually not much longer than {{convert|4|in|cm|spell=in}} from toe to heel.<ref name="SSH" /> The poll can feature a hammer, spike, or may simply be rounded off, and they usually do not have lugs.<ref name="PH">{{cite journal |last=Haskew |first=Mike |title=Pipe Hawks |journal=[[Blade (magazine)|Blade]] |date= 2003-09-01 |pages=26β34 |volume=30 |issue=9 }}</ref><ref name="SSH" /> === Colonial period models === From the 1800s onward, these sometimes had a pipe-bowl carved into the poll, and a hole drilled down the center of the shaft for smoking [[tobacco]] through the metal head.<ref name="SSH" /> Pipe tomahawks are artifacts unique to North America, created by Europeans as trade objects but often exchanged as [[diplomatic gift]]s.<ref name="PH" /> They were symbols of the choice Europeans and Native Americans faced whenever they met: one end was the [[Calumet (pipe)|pipe of peace]], the other an axe of war.<ref name="PH" /><ref name="SSH" /><ref name="LL" /> In colonial French territory, a different tomahawk design, closer to the ancient European [[francisca]], was in use by French settlers and local peoples.<ref name="LL">{{cite journal |last=Haskew |first=Mike |title=Legends and Lore Through the Spike Tomahawk |journal=[[Blade (magazine)|Blade]] |date=2004-09-01 |pages=12β19 |volume=28 |issue=9 }}</ref> In the late 18th century, the British Army issued tomahawks to their colonial regulars during the [[American Revolutionary War]] as a weapon and tool.<ref name="TK">{{cite journal |last=Dick |first=Steven |title=Frontier Hatchets still On Duty |journal=[[Tactical Knives]] |date=2002-05-01 |pages=43β47 |volume=10 |issue=5 }}</ref> === Contemporary models === Many of these modern tomahawks are made of [[drop forged]], differentially heat treated, alloy steel.<ref name="EKI" /> The differential heat treatment allows for the chopping portion and the spike to be [[rockwell scale|harder]] than the middle section, allowing for a shock-resistant body with a durable temper.<ref name="EKI">{{cite journal |last=Emerson |first=Ernest |author-link=Ernest Emerson |title=The Modern Tomahawk |journal=[[American Handgunner]] |page=15 |year=2007}}</ref> ==== Competition-based ==== The tomahawk competitions have regulations concerning the type and style of tomahawk used for throwing. Today's hand-forged tomahawks are being made by master craftsmen throughout the United States.<ref name="wedge" /><ref name="MH">{{cite news |url=http://www.americantomahawk.com/media/av/mountaineer.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822155131/http://www.americantomahawk.com/media/av/mountaineer.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 22, 2006 |title=Tomahawk Makes Front Page News in San Francisco |publisher=Mountaineer-Herald |date=January 25, 1968 |page=8 |access-date=July 14, 2008 }}</ref> There are special throwing tomahawks made for these kinds of competitions. Requirements such as a minimum handle length and a maximum blade edge (usually {{cvt|4|in|disp=sqbr}}) are the most common tomahawk throwing competition rules.<ref name="comp" /> ==== Law enforcement use ==== Some companies have seized upon this new popularity and are producing "tactical tomahawks". These SWAT-oriented tools are designed to be both useful and relatively light. Some examples of "tactical tomahawks" include models wherein the shaft is designed as a Pry Bar.
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)