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Kiowa Spontoon Pipe Tomahawk 19th Century

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,250.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
Kiowa Spontoon Pipe Tomahawk 19th Century
This is an excellent spontoon pipe tomahawk attributed to the Kiowa Native American Indians dating to circa 1880. The piece has an iconic spontoon blade with under-curled basal processes often documented with Southern Plains tribes, particularly from the Kiowa and Southern Cheyenne. The blacksmith hand-forged iron head measures 9 ¾ inches long by 2 ¾ inches at its widest. The blade has a raised median ridge running down the center of the blade on a both sides, a documented early weapons feature seen on dag fighting knives, spontoon tomahawks, blades and lances. The head has a diamond eyelet hole with tall thin vase like pipe bowl having filed rings and forged chevrons and mouldings. The piece is paired with what appears to be the original hardwood haft handle with a diamond four sided carved pattern which tapers upward at the two gripping areas and at the smoking tip. Diamond eyelet holes and diamond hafts have been documented by scholars such as Peterson in 1965 and Baldwin in 1995 as being from the 1880 period. The haft is adorned with hot file branding and solid brass trade tacks along with a later added dyed red horsetail hair drop tied onto a pierced hole at the bottom end of the haft. The entire tomahawk has a nice smooth patina and is truly an attractive example. Provenance: From the ex-collection of Dale Harrison from Cincinnati, Ohio.