TOMAHAWK

(from Algonkian otomahuk: to knock down), the war hatchet of the North American Indians. Early versions were made by tying a stone head to a handle with animal sinew or by passing a double-pointed chipped stone through a hole bored in a handle. After the arrival of Europeans, tomahawk heads often were made of iron obtained in trade. Globe-headed clubs, often ornately incised and decorated with feathers, and used for ceremonies as well as war, have also been called tomahawks.