Offered for public sale is this unusual unique spontoon pipe tomahawk with Buffalo-head blade from the Sioux Native American Indians dating to the 19th Century. The piece comes with a signed letter from Barlow Antiques attributing the piece to circa 1840 to 1860 Sioux. The piece shows an iron spontoon blade which has been cut in the shape of a Great American Bison Buffalo head with pierced round cutouts for eyes and smaller cutouts for nostrils. The spontoons basal processes, which are upturned, represent the Buffalo Horns. The eyelet hole is tear drop shaped, typical of mid to late 19th Century examples and shows step moldings with filed chevron leading to the elongated thin and tall bowl with molded and filed lines on the beveled bowl; the inside of the bowl is smooth. For a very similar example see Harold L. Peterson 1965 book “American Indian Tomahawks” on page 136 figure / photograph 284 attributed to circa 1880-1900 Assiniboine Indian with Buffalo Head blade. Also see “Indian Tomahawks & Frontiersmen Belt Axes” by Hartzler and Knowles for another Buffalo Head tomahawk. This example is nearly identical to the example found to be authentic original shape and piece by the experts at Cowan’s Auction sold in their April 2013 sale from the Chandler-Pohrt Collection attributed as a Buffalo Head Pipe Tomahawk from the 19th Century. The Cowan’s piece has the identical Buffalo head. The head is secured to an ash wood haft handle with extensive hot file burned bands and a zig-zag brass trade tack pattern down two-thirds of the surface on both sides. The gripping area tapers gradually towards the smoking tip, a features also seen on many mid to late 19th Century tomahawk hafts. Just below the gripping area is a pierced hole which would have held an Indian hide wrist throng, beaded drop of hide or drop of feathers, none of which is present anymore. The smoking tip is in typical tapering form and is accented by hot file burns at the end of the haft just above the tip. The brass tacks have a dark to mellow coloring and the wood has a nice mellow coloring. The head has a dark coloring, similar to the Cowan’s piece. 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. The piece measure 25.25”L with a head that is 10 7/8”L by 3.75”W by 1.75” thick.