This is an outstanding Southern Plains spontoon pipe tomahawk attributed to the Kiowa Native American Indians in the manner and pattern of the third quarter of the 19th Century. The lot features a hand blacksmith forged head with Revolutionary war pattern spontoon kite-shaped blade with no basal process curls. The blade has a raised median ridge running along the center of the blade on both sides, a documented early weapons feature that dated to the 1850-1870’s period according to tomahawk scholars / authors Harold Peterson, John Baldwin, Francis, and Hartzler & Knowles. The head shows a long tapering pipe bowl with filed molded ridges flowing into the tear drop eyelet hole with “V” shaped chevron and step moldings. The head is secured to a solid wood haft handle which is adorned with hot rasp file brandings, old brass trade tacks in a linear pattern and a beaded drop attached with a hide sleeve and tacks. The beaded drop, likely a later addition, shows a Great American Bison Buffalo Indian tanned hide and red stroud trade clothe construction with long hand cut hide fringe and the top is covered in early glass trade seed beads in a geometric pattern in colors of sky padre blue, red and blue. The drop is attached to the haft with a hide sleeve at the gripping area. This is very similar to the example in figure 271, page 133 of Harold L. Peterson’s “American Indian Tomahawks” book from 1965; the example in the book is dated to circa 1860-1880 and has a “classic so-called ‘Minnewauken’ form with the kite-shaped blade almost a diamond…. Slight median ridge running down the blade” (MAI/HF: 22/7292). Provenance: From the ex-collection of Tom Hardy of Indianapolis, Indiana and Ohio. Kiowa examples are very scarce with this being a nice example showing overall good patina with artful look and forged fold in the blade. The tomahawk has an axe spontoon head that is 9 ½ inches long and overall the tomahawk is 21 ½ inches long with an additional 22 inch long beaded fringe drop.