tomahawks vs hatchets?

[LaBonte]

For those interested in this subject Harold Peterson's seminal book on American Indian Tomahawks is available on line with all images intact and is downloadable in PDF and various ebooks: http://www.archive.org/details/americanindiant00pete

He includes early stoneheaded tomahawks........

 

[fatboy]

How could you lose it?

Somebody could steel it from your house and could be a person you thought of as a friend yeah we had a a cloth sack of Indian head pennies stolen when we moved as a kid and that was family that helped sad to say

 

[Rifleman1776]

For those interested in this subject Harold Peterson's seminal book on American Indian Tomahawks is available on line with all images intact and is downloadable in PDF and various ebooks: http://www.archive.org/details/americanindiant00pete

He includes early stoneheaded tomahawks........

anything Peterson wrote is bound to be a great reference. But, my concern with authenticating is more from the fact that, these days, we have so many great craftsmen, blacksmiths and knappers, that, I believe sorting genuine antique from new made is near impossible. We have an excellent, college owned, museum about 100 miles from my house. It has a very extensive collection of arrow heads and other points. An avid collector and knapper told me many of the items in the collection are recent made for the tourist trade. No way to prove differently.

 

[dyemaker]

Thanks for he reading material :thumbsup: The halbred type axes interest me also. About the flint axe head, it may be in my garage. Ive had it for 30 years and it is authentic. Hopefully I will find it soon. I imagine it to be quite valuable.

 

[dyemaker]

Regarding the Civil War boarding axe I had posted a photo of; from the e-book above.....

Chapter xii Naval Boarding axes

" During the Civil War, the United States abandoned the spiked axe in favor of one with a hammer head..." ... "Boarding axes were issued to specified crew members, but these soon ceased to be a weapon as naval tactics changed with the introduction of steam ships and long range cannon. Boarding actions were no longer practical and wooden masts and rope rigging also dissappeared. The boarding axe of the late 19th century was an anachronism, useful only for emergencies, and, as such, soon became relegated to the tool box."

 

[airborne2037]

A tomahawk (also referred to as a hawk) is a type of axe from North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft.[1][2] 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, much like the African nzappa zap.[1][2] 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.[1][2]


A hatchet (from the Old French hachete, a diminutive form of hache, 'axe' of Germanic origin) is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade used to cut and split wood. Hatchets may also be used for hewing when making flattened surfaces on logs; when the hatchet head is optimized for this purpose it is called a broadaxe.

A hatchet is simply a small axe. Under this definition, modern hand axes and tomahawks (tamahaac) are both forms of hatchets.

Hatchets have a variety of uses, such as tasks normally done by a pocket knife when one is not present. The hatchet can also be used to create a fire through sparks and friction. Hatchet throwing is increasing in popularity.

Burying the hatchet has become a phrase meaning to make peace, due to the Native American tradition of hiding or putting away a tomahawk when a peace agreement was made.

IT IS SIMPLY TWO DIFFERENT WORDS FROM TWO DIFFERENT LANGUAGES USED TO DESCRIBE THE SAME PIECE OF EQUIPEMENT.

 

[Rifleman1776]

This may be little off the original question, but if it was all they had it might have been used for trekking or defense.
I believe it correctly would be called a 'broad hatchet'. Only one side is beveled. This tool would be used to square timbers for construction. More commonly a long handled broad axe would have been used. This hatchet is the only one I have ever seen this size. I bought it many years ago at an auction. I'm sure the handle is not original. This type tool had a curved handle to keep the knuckles away from the wood while using. It is an interesting antique, albiet not very useful in today's world.

[/img]

 

[Coot]

While looking thru catalogs I found the "medieval throwing axe" that was identical to the " Cherokee tomahawk" at another website. Buyer beware... :hmm:

Link

People call things what they (often mistakenly) think they are, or they call them by what they (often correctly) think will sell them ......
:wink:

 

[Pigman]

This may be little off the original question, but if it was all they had it might have been used for trekking or defense.
I believe it correctly would be called a 'broad hatchet'. Only one side is beveled. This tool would be used to square timbers for construction. More commonly a long handled broad axe would have been used. This hatchet is the only one I have ever seen this size. I bought it many years ago at an auction. I'm sure the handle is not original. This type tool had a curved handle to keep the knuckles away from the wood while using. It is an interesting antique, albiet not very useful in today's world.

[/img]

I have a hatchet just like that with the flat side. the handle looks the same also. I paid a dollar for it at a yard sale.

Foster From Flint

 

[pargent]

It's a speech,word thing CAUSED BY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE by the writer of the tools or weapons he is speeking about, the uses of the tools/weapons overlap and so does the terminoligy much like to-day with the use of the words gun & rifle ,certainly not worth the head trip this is getting.

 

[Jim Blair]

That style hatchet would be more commonly found in the carpenters tool box than used as a belt hatchet.You see similar types in many period books and manuscripts showing the carpenter at work.They are still available new from several manufacturers.Head weights on these run around a pound and half,considerably lighter than the hewing broad axe but heavier than a normal belt axe/tomahawk.I have seen pictures of stock makers using these to rough hew rifle stocks from a rough sawn blank and bodgers to round off a piece for turning.
http://www.monstermarketplace.com/woodworking-supplies/vaughan-broad-hatchet

 

[Michigan Dave]

I use a similar hand axe for working rough wood (billets) to make chair parts. You can find such in some woodworking catalogs (Highland Hardware, Atlanta, comes to mind, on their chairmaking tools pages). Good luck if you still need a source.

 

[Coot]

There are about 10-12 on ebay right now. I use mine every week or two (but only to tap down the lids on paint & stain cans :grin: )

 

[Rifleman1776]

And I thought I had something really u-neek. :wink:
I still believe this one is pretty old.

 

[Claude Mathis]

People call things what they (often mistakenly) think they are, ...

Yep.

I'm sure some folks called a tomahawk a "hatchet" because that's their familiar word for something that looks like that. To them, in all practicality, they are the same thing.

A Colt .45 is a revolver, pistol, handgun, six-gun, sidearm, etc., depending on who you're talking to and in what context.

 

[Preacher Jeremy]

I guess I'm rather ignorant when it comes to meanings of words, but at vous, I use a "hatchet" to split firewood, and a "tomahawk" to throw at the block. I've tried to throw the hatchet at home once, and it was an epic failure. Likewise, splitting wood with a hawk is an exercise in futility. So I figure, you can call it what you like, but the right tool makes all the difference. :idunno:

 

[BrownBear]

I guess I'm rather ignorant when it comes to meanings of words, but at vous, I use a "hatchet" to split firewood, and a "tomahawk" to throw at the block. I've tried to throw the hatchet at home once, and it was an epic failure. Likewise, splitting wood with a hawk is an exercise in futility. So I figure, you can call it what you like, but the right tool makes all the difference. :idunno:

We're rowing the same boat, I think.

I put together a nice pipe axe because I like the looks of them. Smoke the heck out of it sometimes, but one try at using it as a tool was futile.

I'm not much into the whole "fighting" image of the general muzzleloading enterprise though, with no scalper to my name either. My axes are axes with no notion of throwing, a flat backside for pounding and a bit for chopping. T'other axes and hawks and stuff are all dandy and I enjoy seeing them, but just don't fit in the realm of my practical nature.

 

[George]

I'm sure some folks called a tomahawk a "hatchet" because that's their familiar word for something that looks like that.

And that was true in the day. They frequently used the two terms interchangeably, it seems. Some examples of uses mentioned in my earlier post.

"The Pennsylvania Gazette
February 5, 1756
Last Friday a Party of Capt. John Van Etten's Men fell in with a Party of Indians in Upper Smithfield, and killed and scalped two of them, and have good Reason to believe they wounded four or five more mortally. They got a Booty of two Guns, one of which a Rifle , the other a smooth bored French Gun; a fine Pipe Hatchet, and three Match coats."

"The Pennsylvania Gazette
June 4, 1761
To be SOLD by JOHN HUGHES, At his Store in Fourth street,...
brass kettles of most sizes, tomahawks with pipes, ditto with spikes,"

"THE SOUTH CAROLINA GAZETTE
August 28, 1736
JUST IMPORTED in the Ship Anna Maria,.... indian corn mills, extraordinary good oval ey'd indian hatchets, brass wire, vermillion,"

"The Pennsylvania Gazette
August 1, 1745
BOSTON, July 22.
.... followed by the Indians, who soon shot them all dead, and afterwards hack'd them to Pieces with their Hatchets in a very inhuman Manner."

Capt. John Knox: "A body of rangers, under the command of Captain Rogers.... are armed with a firelock, tomahawk, or small hatchet, and a scalping knife,"

Spence

 

[Claude Mathis]

I'm sure some folks called a tomahawk a "hatchet" because that's their familiar word for something that looks like that.

And that was true in the day. They frequently used the two terms interchangeably, it seems. Some examples of uses mentioned in my earlier post.

"The Pennsylvania Gazette
February 5, 1756
Last Friday a Party of Capt. John Van Etten's Men fell in with a Party of Indians in Upper Smithfield, and killed and scalped two of them, and have good Reason to believe they wounded four or five more mortally. They got a Booty of two Guns, one of which a Rifle , the other a smooth bored French Gun; a fine Pipe Hatchet, and three Match coats."

"The Pennsylvania Gazette
June 4, 1761
To be SOLD by JOHN HUGHES, At his Store in Fourth street,...
brass kettles of most sizes, tomahawks with pipes, ditto with spikes,"

"THE SOUTH CAROLINA GAZETTE
August 28, 1736
JUST IMPORTED in the Ship Anna Maria,.... indian corn mills, extraordinary good oval ey'd indian hatchets, brass wire, vermillion,"

"The Pennsylvania Gazette
August 1, 1745
BOSTON, July 22.
.... followed by the Indians, who soon shot them all dead, and afterwards hack'd them to Pieces with their Hatchets in a very inhuman Manner."

Capt. John Knox: "A body of rangers, under the command of Captain Rogers.... are armed with a firelock, tomahawk, or small hatchet, and a scalping knife,"

Spence

And even today, you will hear people call a smoothbore a "rifle" because to them, it looks like a rifle. After all, if it's not a pistol, it must be a rifle, right. :wink:

 

[Stophel]

This may be little off the original question, but if it was all they had it might have been used for trekking or defense.
I believe it correctly would be called a 'broad hatchet'. Only one side is beveled. This tool would be used to square timbers for construction. More commonly a long handled broad axe would have been used. This hatchet is the only one I have ever seen this size. I bought it many years ago at an auction. I'm sure the handle is not original. This type tool had a curved handle to keep the knuckles away from the wood while using. It is an interesting antique, albiet not very useful in today's world.

[/img]

Broad axes and broad hatchets are pretty common and fairly easily found... at least in Kentucky. Late 19th-early 20th century. Same basic form as 18th century English broad axes, just the construction method is, of course, quite different.