Lot 152

Northern Plains Cross Cutout Pipe Tomhawk 19th C.

Estimate: $7,500 - $9,500

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
This is a unique solid brass and forged iron pipe tomahawk attributed to the Northern Plains Native Americans from the third to fourth quarter of the 19th Century. The piece shows a solid brass pipe tomahawk head with typical Northern Plains Western head showing a slightly inward flaring straight edge head with straight end showing a dovetailed in forged iron blade overall showing a upside down double barred cross cutout. The double bar cross is referred to as the Patriarchal Cross or the Cross of Larraine. The head also shows an oval eye with faceted eyelet outside also being adorned with filed chevrons flowing into the tall bowl. The bowl has a median ridge at the center, being vase like with a filed ridge at the top and base and nice gradually curved base. The head is secured to the haft with a hide gasket and the clean out plug is no longer present. The haft shows a solid wood construction with heavy hot file brandings and double rows of solid brass trade tacks at the head and smoking tip along with a single row running down the top edge of the handle. The haft shows a slight inward cut just above and through the gripping area which ends in the slight spurred out smoking top end. The smoking tip is no longer present and was likely a piece of pewter, bone or a bullet casing. The base of the tomahawk has a pierced hole which holds a drop of Indian tanned hide beadwork. The beadwork appears to be of the same 19th Century period with typical Plains geometric pattern in glass trade seed beads being sinew sewn. The beads include red white hearts, blue, chalk white, cobalt and butterscotch yellow. The end of the drop shows a nice row of Indian tanned hide fringe. The brass and iron head has a nice mellow patina and the wood has a nice brown coloring with shiny finish from use and the brass tracks also being mellow in coloring. The cross cutout being upside down double barred is truly unusual with authentic examples being very scarce such as the example in Harold L. Peterson 1965 book “American Indian Tomahawks” on page 119 figure 194; this example was attributed to the Oglala Sioux circa 1860-1880 showing a cross cut out in the blade with very similar blade shape, tall bowl, file branded haft and oval eye. This example measures 19.75”L with a head that is 9.25”L with a blade that is 3 7/8”L across the bottom of the blade. The drop is 14.5”L.
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