The lot features a 19th Century Central Plains region Missouri War Axe tomahawk from the DuPont family collection. The piece exhibits a hand-forged iron blade with a large brass inlaid cross of Lorraine at the center of the blade along with file work notches and a zig-zag design down each outer edge of the blade/ There are two filed lines over the eyelet / eye hole. The bottom blade was never sharped to a point, a common occurrence on Missouri War Axes. The head is secured to the haft with wedges of wood, old buckskin and brass tacking. The old painted red haft has a darkened with age to a deep, shiny patina from honest use and shows some nicks, dings and scratched along with being adorned with brass trade tacking. The bottom end of the haft has a serrated “staircase” cut, a typical pattern found on early-to-mid 19th Century examples. There is a pierced hole with an old beaded and fringed Buffalo hide dangle drop with an old tinker bell and a single black bear claw tied on with Buffalo hide lacing. The entire tomahawk is in very good condition for its age and the beadwork style and colors on the drop are indicative of the Central Plains region. Provenance: From the ex-collection of the DuPont family of St. Louis, MO. The term "Missouri War Axe" was coined by American Indian weapons collectors to describe this style of tomahawk. They were first discovered by Lewis & Clark on their 1804-1805 expedition financed by Thomas Jefferson, which sent them exploring up the upper Missouri River basin. Meriwether Lewis wrote about these weapons and sketched one in his journal, stating that the local Indians were fervently requesting the expedition blacksmith to make additional examples for them. He went as far as to state that it was the only item the Indians were willing to trade corn, grain, and other expedition necessities for and that manufacture, and trade of additional axes is what solely got the explorers through the winter of 1805. Only a small handful of tribes were known to have used this style of tomahawk and in only one specific region. They were made in small numbers, making early surviving examples, such as this, extremely rare and historically important. Measures overall 18 inches in length with the head being 7 ½ inches long by 4 ¼ inches across the blade.