[NATIVE AMERICAN] Plains Pipe Tomahawk w/ Beaded Hide Wrap & Hawk Bells

A Plains Pipe Tomahawk with Hand-Forged Head, Ash Haft, and Beaded Hide Ornament.

A striking pipe tomahawk distinguished by its broad, flaring blade and elongated ash haft. The hand-forged iron head incorporates a tall, slightly flared pipe bowl rising on a short neck opposite the blade. Incised V-shaped lines ornament the eye, while a shallow transverse molding and small curved projection articulate the transition to the blade. The metal retains a dark, mottled surface, complementing the warm brown patina and pronounced grain of the wood. A leather gasket accompanies the seating of the head on the haft.

Around the lower portion of the shaft, a brain-tanned hide wrap carries closely spaced bands of glass beads in green, dark blue, red, pale blue, white, yellow, and pink. Short hide fringe extends from both ends of the wrap, and a compact cluster of hawk bells hangs beneath on hide ties. The concentrated color of this ornament provides a vivid accent against the otherwise restrained surfaces of iron and ash.

Pipe tomahawks emerged in the early eighteenth century and became important articles of trade and diplomatic exchange. Combining an axe blade with a tobacco bowl, the form brought together the associations of a weapon and the social and ceremonial significance of smoking. Colonial officials presented pipe tomahawks to Native leaders, and surviving examples document their place in negotiations and the cultivation of political relationships.

On the Plains, beadwork, hide attachments, and metal ornaments gave these objects further individual character. This example is a a handsome expression of Plains material artistry, uniting purposeful metalwork with carefully placed personal ornament.