Pipe Tomahawk

American
1740 – 1780

Colonists added a pipe to the tomahawk by boring a hole the length of the handle. By combining the utilitarian ax with the ceremonial use of tobacco, they created a trade item that instantly became popular with the American Indians. One hundred Oneida Nation members arrived at the Valley Forge encampment in 1778, and it is likely that soldiers traded with the Oneida.

Iron, wood, bone. L 19.3, W 5.8 cm
The George C. Neumann Collection,
Valley Forge National Historical Park, VAFO 769