Tomahawk (axe)

Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

 Tomahawk (axe)

Tomahawk (axe)

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.

Etymology

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'.

Composition

Pre-contact Indians lacked ironmaking technology, so tomahawks were not fitted with metal ax 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,or were carved with a wooden head in the shape of a large knob, which functioned as a club with crushing rather than cutting force.

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 are powerful symbols of the choice Europeans and Indians faced whenever they met: one end was the pipe of peace, the other an axe of war.

Modern use

Tomahawk throwingis a popular sport among American historical re-enactment groups, and new martial arts such as Okichitaw have begun to revive tomahawk fighting techniques used during the Colonial era.Tomahawks are also a category within competitive knife throwing. Today's hand-forged tomahawks are being made by master craftsmen throughout the United States.

Modern tomahawks designed by Peter LaGana included wood handles, a hatchet-like bit and a leather sheath and were used by select US forces during the Vietnam War and are referred to as Vietnam Tomahawks.These modern tomahawks have gained popularity with their re-emergence by American Tomahawk Company in the beginning of 2001 and a collaboration with custom knife-maker Ernest Emerson of Emerson Knives, Inc.A similar wood handle Vietnam Tomahawk is also produced today by Cold Steel. The tomahawk was later redesigned featuring synthetic shafts by American Tomahawk Company and named VTACs ("Vietnam Tactical Tomahawk"'s) and are manufactured by Fehrman Knives. SOG Knives Inc. has also entered the field with its own version of the Vietnam Tomahawk, the Fusion Tactical Tomahawk. Original Vietnam Tomahawks are rare and expensive.

Military application

American Tomahawk Company's "VTAC" ("Vietnam Tactical Tomahawk") is in use by the US Army Stryker Brigade in Afghanistan, the 172nd SBCT Team based at Grafenwöhr (Germany), the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division out of Fort Lewis, a Recon Platoon in the 2-183d CAV (116th IBCT) (OIF 2007-2008) and numerous other soldiers.The VTAC was issued a National Stock Number (4210-01-518-7244) and classified as a “Class 9 rescue kit” as a result of a program called the Rapid Fielding Initiative; it is also included within every Stryker vehicle as the “Modular Entry Tool set”. This design is enjoying something of a renaissance with US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan as a tool and in use in hand-to-hand combat.