North American Auction Company
Live Auction

Western Antique Auction September 11th 2021

Sat, Sep 11, 2021 11:00AM EDT
Lot 253

Sioux Pipe Tomahawk 19th C. from E.V. Kronwitter

Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000

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
The lot features a forged iron spontoon pipe tomahawk attributed to the Sioux Native American Indians of the late 19th to early 20th Century. Provenance: The piece was purchased directly from the family estate by the current Iowa collector, from Ernest Von Kronwitter who acquired the piece while doing missionary work to the Sioux Indians at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the Dakotas in the early 1900’s. The piece shows a forged iron spontoon kite-shaped blade with no basal processes, a forge fold line on both sides, and a tall tapering ridged bowl which is forged from a musket rifle barrel. The eyelet hole is tear drop and the head is slightly loose and can be removed, which exposes the old hide gasket remnants and rich patina coloring that only comes from honest age and use. The piece is paired with what appears to be the original solid wood haft handle, which has an upswing bend and taper with tear drop shaped smooth surface covered in old hot file brandings and a shiny dark chocolate patina. The top of the haft shows three lines of solid brass square shank old original trade tacks with a rich mellow coloring and just below the gripping area is a protruding stop with pierced hole, which holds the beaded drop. The drop, a likely later Reservation period addition, shows an Indian tanned hide with old red stroud wool trade blanket cloth backing displaying all glass trade seed beads with a greasy yellow background and geometric pattern in cobalt, chalk white, and red white heart. At the base of the beadwork are seven solid brass old trade hawk bells and the 19th Century old stroud trade cloth continues down quite a length to show three square animal track-like symbols in solid brass furniture tacks. The blanket strip shows the natural color bleed and point end. The head and haft appear to be a mid-to-late19th Century example, with the drop being a later Indian Reservation addition. The head has a nice grey speckled coloring, which likely had been cleaned out some time ago as it has patina yet still from age. The head itself measures 10.75”L by 2 3/8”W by 1.25”D. The Tomahawk head and haft is 22.5”L and the drop is an additional 31.5”L by 4.5”W.
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