This is an outstanding authentic American Indian scarce double batwing cutout and pierced pipe tomahawk dating to the Indian Wars Era of the 19th Century. This 1800’s pipe tomahawk war club shows a forged wide western pattern large blade with small notch rear facing spur with forged moldings file lines at the oval eyelet hole showing chevron forged file moldings holding the tall bowl which was constructed using the remnants of a musket barrel. This example shows a double batwing cutout along with six pierced holes which still show the original copper / brass inlays, an unbelievably rare authentic additional scarcely seen. The head is secured to a solid wood haft handle, with remnants of the hoof hide glue and hide gasket still being present but nearly gone. The clean out hole at the eyelet still exhibits the original plug, a carved bone peg. The haft shows six rows of solid early brass square shank trade tacks and is further accented by twelve heavy hot file burned bands, a truly artful and amazing attribute. The smoking top is nicely carved and has a good length. Above the smoking tip is a pierced hole which holds a later added hide tie with red dyed Buffalo Bison tail which is adorned with glass trade seed cen beads in a linear geometric pattern in colors of chalk white, red white hearts, and medium green being sinew sewn. The tomahawk also exhibits a beautiful punch engraved pattern down the front outer edge on both sides of the piece. The double batwing cutout tomahawk is exceedingly rare with few known to exist in museums or private collections. These tomahawks rarely come up for public sale making them a very scarce and unique American Indian collectible. Cowan’s Auctions offered a Southern Plains Style Pipe Tomahawk with Inlay and Double-Cutout in their 4/5/2013 sale attributed to circa 1870 and sold for an astounding $42,000. A similar tomahawk is photographed in Hartzler and Knowles Indian Tomahawks and Frontiersmen Belt Axes (1991 figure 60). This example is also very similar to the example documented by Harold L. Peterson in his 1965 book, “American Indian Tomahawk” on page 119 figure 191. Photography / figure 191 which is attributed to the Sioux circa 1860, likely the age and tribe origin of the piece being offered in this sale. Provenance: From a historic Eastern Montana American Indian Collection, where the piece was found to be an authentic original, one of the finest collections of American Indian weaponry and antiquities in Montana. Tomahawk measures 24 ½ inches in length with a head that is 11 3/8 inches long with a blade that is 4.5”W.