I can not speak historically but I can tell you from a medical standpoint. A tomahawk with either a pipe or hammer poll may not be as fast in a fight as one without, but I would not want to be on the recieving end. The pipe bowl or the hammer poll would allow the hawk be dual sided weapon and allow more weight upon impact. A blow to the head with either side of those kind of hawks would be deadly, to take a direct hit to a bone with the pipe or hammer poll could easily break them, or disable enough to make the strike with the blade side. DANNY