Tomahawk
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A tomahawk (also referred to as a hawk) is a type of axe from North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft. The name came into the English language in the 17th century as an adaptation of the Powhatan (Virginian Algonquian) word.
Tomahawks were general purpose tools used by Native Americans and European colonials alike, and often employed as a hand-to-hand or a thrown weapon. The metal tomahawk heads were originally based on a Royal Navy boarding axe and used as a trade-item with Native Americans for food and other provisions.
The name comes from Powhatan tamahaac, derived from the Proto-Algonquian root *temah- 'to cut off by tool'. Algonquian cognates include Lenape təmahikan, Malecite-Passamaquoddy tomhikon, Abenaki demahigan, all of which mean 'axe'.
Pre-contact Native Americans lacked ironmaking technology, so tomahawks were not fitted with metal axe heads until they could be obtained from trade with Europeans. The tomahawk's original designs were fitted with heads of bladed or rounded stone or deer antler.
The modern tomahawk shaft is usually less than 2 ft (61 cm) in length, traditionally made of hickory, ash, or maple. The heads weigh anywhere from 9–20 oz (260–570 g), with a cutting edge usually not much longer than four inches (10 cm) from toe to heel. The poll can feature a small hammer, spike or simply be rounded off, and they usually do not have lugs. 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 tomahawk.There are also metal-headed versions of this unusual pipe. Pipe tomahawks are artifacts unique to North America: created by Europeans as trade objects but often exchanged as diplomatic gifts. They were symbols of the choice Europeans and Native Americans faced whenever they met: one end was the pipe of peace, the other an axe of war.
In colonial French territory, a very different tomahawk design, closer to the ancient European francisca, was in use by French settlers and indigenous peoples. In the late 18th century, the British Army issued tomahawks to their colonial regulars during the American Revolutionary War as a weapon and tool.
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Manufacturers
Current tomahawk manufacturers include:
American Tomahawk Company
Branton Knives in collaboration with Walter Brend
Benchmade Knife Company
Browning Arms Company
Cold Steel
Columbia River Knife & Tool
Condor Tool and Knife
Delia Tactical International
Fury by Joy Enterprises
Gerber Legendary Blades
Hardcore Hardware Australia
LC Hansen
K5 Tactical
Ranger Knives
RMJ Forge and RMJ Tactical
Sayoc-Winkler Knives 2
Sims Tactical Solutions
Smith & Wesson
Strider Knives
Maiczan Industries in Ottawa, Canada
Joe Szilaski
Winkler Knives
SOG Specialty Knives
Old World BladeWorks
H and B Forge Company
Benchmade
Kings Forge and Muzzleloading
United Cutlery
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