This is a rare and exceptionally made pipe tomahawk with cutouts from the Cheyenne Native American Indian tribe dating to the 1870s Indian Wars era with beaded drop. This is likely one of the best early Indian Wars era tomahawks we have ever offered to the public market. This piece comes from the respected Mary Lou and Pierre DuPont family collection from St. Louis, Missouri and features a large, blacksmithed hand-forged iron head with a wide flaring Western pattern blade that has scarce and unique cutouts in the blade. There are small forged chevrons or “V”’s, forged moldings and a punch dot engraved decoration on both sides. The forged pipe bowl is short and wide in vase pattern and sits on a circular forged base. The head is secured to the haft with an old buckskin gasket, still present, and brass tacks. The clean out hole is visible at the top of the eyelet hole at the haft, the clean out plug is long missing. The haft is hardwood exhibiting an elaborately adornment of brass tacking on both sides and along the top edge. The blade shows five cut outs in the following shapes: an old-pattern weeping heart, a cross, a diamond, an old-pattern starburst, and a large half-moon with a face. This is one of only two or so known examples of these cutouts on a tomahawk blade in any museum or private collection. The other example is shown in the photo gallery of this lot for example and is in a museum collection in Alberta, Canada, being attributed to the Northern Cheyenne. Both pieces are likely from the same hand. The tomahawk has a beautifullly beaded drop comprised of Buffalo Bison hide, a true piece of Native American art in and of itself. The drop is made of old Indian tanned Buffalo Bison hide and has artfully beaded designs in typical Plains geometric and symbolic patterns done in all period correct 19th Century glass trade seed beads. The beadwork shows colors of greasy yellow, cobalt, semi-transparent rose, greasy chalk white, black. At the base of the tomahawk are long frilly fringes of Indian tanned hide with a yellow ocher mineral pigment coloring. The drop is sinew and trade thread sewn. There are 11 small brass buttons sewn on the top edge as well. The large beaded and fringed drop is reminiscent of the color pictured example on the opening page of the 1965 book by Harold Peterson “American Indian Tomahawks”. These more elaborately decorated examples of tomahawks were not just common pieces, but rather typically owned by Chiefs, Holy Men or other tribal dignitaries. This is truly a masterful work of antique Native American Art, being well kept and displaying beautifully. Provenance: From the DuPont family collection. Total length of the tomahawk is 25 ½ inches long with an additional 28 inch long beaded drop that is 5 inches wide.*