Tomahawks Thrown in Combat: Historic Accounts from the American Frontier
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- Join us to look at several historic sources for tomahawks thrown in combat. And if you are interesting in throwing tomahawks, be sure to support our channel by getting a Stingray Tomahawk or Sparrowhawk-both are optimized for the throw and also excel at bushcraft and utility applications.
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Y’all please share this video with anyone you know that is into tomahawks and throwing blades, and BE EDGY.
I grew up in the woods of NC. Everyone i knew could stick an ax at 20-30 ft. Practice was looked at as fun and / or play a competition amongst cousins. Ax, bow, kinfe were used most Sundays after church by all kids
An excellent video essay, sir. An interesting thing here is the quality of the writing in the excerpts you read. Without a formal modern education, these woodsmen and frontiersmen and explorers and warriors had a mastery of language that we have lost. I would that we could regain this skill, and many others of practical survival and utility.
Yeah I wonder if their mastery of the written word had to do with the lack of images and videos-you had to provide a physical description of what was happening, and also convey the emotions and intensity. Even putting pictures in your book could get expensive back in 1800’s. Today we can film a video or snap a series of picture that captures so much of “what’s going on”, then we maybe peck out some short caption on the smart phone. So our technology makes us get worse with words.
I’m still super obsessed with my Stingray I can’t get enough of it
The blade size/shape is awesome would be the perfect hawk if/when they make it a drop through eye/head
@Torsartie That would be cool. That said, as an EDC, especially if it's carried concealed as intended with these type hawks, you may prefer the more secured head option for safety purposes.
Historically speaking, tomahawks were also were secured at the top of the handle like regular hatchets and axes as well. Pipe hawks had to be permanently secured at the top (unless the handle broke, of course).
Thanks for this comment-it’s got me thinking I ought to do a video on this topic of head/handle connections. There are different approaches and some pros and cons. Thank you for the idea!
My tomhawk is my go to for camping, its lightweight packability and the practical chores you can do hammering tent stakes splitting firewood felling small trees etc also its fun when the works done to just chuck it at a tree with buddies. Tomahawks still have their place even today what a great invention
They are truly incredible tools. Very versatile!
In the age of single shot cap and ball or Flint I can see how someone would want something that's more versatile than the second pistol that can be thrown or used in melee after their first shot that weighs a lot less for the extra benefit of comfort compared to buccaneer style pistol sticking out of your waistband everywhere.
Agree. And most tomahawks had everyday utility applications too. Your comment reminds me of a lot of the pirate depictions-especially Blackbeard-had the multiple pistols worn on the body, the cutlass, etc. Armed to the teeth. But in the age of sail you probably knew when a battle was brewing and could afford to put on a LOT of weapons prior to combat. Not so easy when you’re hiking for many miles in steep wooded terrain or going on canoes with high river banks, etc.
Im a blacksmith hobbyist and a history buff so im very glad i found your channel today, had alot of fun
Have a good day my man 👍
Thank you for enjoying the channel!
Thanks! I did not really believe tomahawks were this commonly thrown, but you actually researched it. So many youtubers never use any actual sources, especially martial arts guys, who often makes stuff up.
I appreciate this comment. I try to maintain my credibility. Share sources where I can, and openly admit when I’m simply speculating. I don’t want to blur the lines.
Remember how they threw axes at the enemy when closing. It named the county France.
Ah the franks and their Franceskas
Zac you rock homie, always love you stuff.
Thank you!
Some combatants carried a dedicated Tomahawk specifically for throwing, while carrying a dedicated melee Tomahawk as well.
I think you are right-a longer tomahawk with downward curved spike is really good in close quarters, not as good in the throw.
Excellent vid! Thank you! Can’t wait for the new club design. Still holding out.
Don’t hold your breath. The new wearclub design is kinda on the back burner.
I loved this! It's truly fascinating stuff. Cheers!
Thank you for your comment 👍
Really enjoyed this great research and first account documented source is backing up your research. Awesome.
I appreciate that, hope to do some more historical videos in the months ahead.
Don't throw your only weapon
@@jimcipriano5322 you definitely didn’t watch the video
Imagine practicing throwing a tomahawk for one hour a day everyday from the age of twelve for five years.
Imagine how second nature hitting your target would become.
I have no doubt that one could not only fight but also hunt with a tomahawk.
It would become intuitive with that much repitition.
Great research! Just found your channel. Love my 'hawks. Looking to get one from you soon.
Thank you! 🙏
"Range beats reach" love that
18:48
It's interesting to note samurai used shuriken in a similar manner. There's actually accounts of Samurai throwing rocks before drawing their swords.
Been loving your vids here recently and just saw Rolando Estocada's vid w this blade... the throw/spike majes this yhing GNARLY. Please make at least JUST ONE ridiculous collaboration... some crazy Damascus w a hand stingray wrap by Bastien over at Bastinelli... it just jeeds to be a thing. I now know that you know.
Amazing viewpoints on historical weaponry & it's tactical application in the modern battle-space, bro. Seriously...
Thank you for the comment and the suggestion. I see Bastinelli sells their latest tomahawk with tsukamaki/menuki on the handle. I’m open to collaborations-just prefer those relationships to occur organically. It probably would help if you and others also comment this suggestion on Bastinelli’s social media. I reckon both Bastien and myself will be at BladeShow next year-that’s a good environment to meet and a get a good read on people you may be working with.
@@wingardwearables well said. Keep on kicking ass!
i think you should do more crossovers with other weapon related channels, its a pity this channel has so little views
Feel free to suggest some channels-I will check them out
@@wingardwearables well probably skallagrim would be the best in terms of his audience size and the content he makes
@@wingardwearables joe x, if you want destruction testing
@@wingardwearables scholagladiatoria would also be an interesting option but he is british so shipping an axe might be too dangerous for their government
@@lefunnyN1 I’ve actually not had issues shipping to the UK. I think they are very focused on knives. But axes and spikes have gone to customers without issue (so far).
My estwing rifle hawk was wonderful.
Some polesmoker stole it out my vehicle. Sad story. Home depot doesn't carry 'em these days.
If you get one of our tomahawks, you’ll be wearing it on your person. I usually carry 1 tucked in the pants and the other underarm. Hard to pickpocket a tomahawk!
@@wingardwearableswhen I was still pushing a cruiser for a living I carried my Winkler RND in thr side of my vest on some calls. My thoughts were less using it as a tertiary than using it for light breaching/vehicle extraction duty. I finally got to handle an Empress, and I’ll have one soon.
Also, you should see if you could get one in the hands of Jack Carr. He is into hawks, and if one of yours ended up in one of his books, you might be in the demand Winkler and Half Face Blades are right now. Your hawks deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the greats in my opinion.
It’s been a long road from the SOG tomahawk in my soldier days, to discovering the fast hawk was much more nimble, to learning about RMJ, then Winkler and HFB, and then finding you. I love the thought and research put into your gear, instead of just the looking cool. I look forward to future content as well as getting my grubby mitts on more of your gear.
@@banditone00 Thank you for your comment and kind words, and it’s nice to know that you got to handle an Empress in the wild. Difficult to convey how something “feels in the hands” - nothing beats actually handling an implement. Also I appreciate the suggestion about Jack Carr. I think there was another tomahawk maker from PA that sent him a tomahawk-I’ll reach out to that maker and see whatever came of that.
The francisca (or francesca) was a throwing axe used as a weapon during the Early Middle Ages by the Franks,
Yes, mentioned in the video, but thank you for your comment 👍
I remember playing quake and getting a mod where I was able to throw the melee axe weapon. I ended up throwing it into a pool of lava.... Whoops
My family are Mohawks a warrior was expected to be able to break any bone chosen an an enemy at 75 feet with the iron wood war club
It kind of sounds like how the Romans used to throw their peel them to soften up the opponent before they met in battle, maybe?
*pilum
It’s similar, and the Franks apparently did something similar with their throwing axe-the Francisca-a lot lighter and more compact to carry than the pilum. But based on my reading, it seems like historic accounts of both the pilum and Francisca showcased their use against an enemy’s formation, to break it up/soften up a group of individuals. This was from a type of fighting with shield walls and a mass of men moving together. But the American frontier was primarily individual combat. I haven’t seen any accounts of militia chucking their tomahawks all at once to break up a bayonet charge of redcoats. Everything seems to be a tomahawk thrown to target a specific individual opponent. Hope this makes sense.
Always trying to be one of the 12 cool people.
I am one of the 12!
You know Zac in regards to you're talking about whether it's more powerful to throw it or hit with the tomahawk I have a suggestion about the power of hitting with it. When I used to box and kickbox but I learned made me is a smaller guy I'm 5' 8" and when I learned like hitting in the nose I don't aim at the nose I aim for the back of the head and just that alone made my punches a lot more powerful. In other words not hitting the nose and backing up for the second punch but punching all the way through to the back of the head makes your punch so much harder I wonder if that would be the same with the tomahawk instead of just aiming at the head aim for the other side of the head and go all the way through etc.
Thank you for the suggestion. I might film some test chops in the next few weeks-it’d be a good idea to test different chopping techniques, including your approach you learned for punching 👍
The old account of the Uulah(sp?) read to me like tapered to a thumb or was the thickness of a thumb only for the bottom portion.
I’ve seen examples up close, at the Auckland war museum in New Zealand. The ulas have a big bulbous mace head-I think it’s made from a root burl of a very dense hardwood tree. The tree is a sapling-and they make the handle from the trunk coming off the root burl. The entire handle is pretty much the same diameter all the way down. Some of ulas had a “cavity” carved in the base of the haft-a bit like a hollow point on pistol ammunition. According to the book the author observed a really weird throwing technique where the Fijian warrior put the tip of his thumb in the cavity and sort of pinched just the butt of the handle when he threw it? Really strange. These clubs were pretty heavy-over 20 ounces for sure. Those warriors had to have developed incredible grip strength to throw that way.
"Throwing your only weapon..." That's the part people don't get. Before modern firearms, people would be armed to the teeth in war. When you have to ditch the long gun and fight up close you would want to have a big knife, pistols, axes, short swords, etc. Hucking a tomahawk at someone while closing the distance isn't a bad idea when you have two or three other weapons. Your enemy is similarly armed, so you're also not givint them abother weapon.
Adroitness means skill.
You have a good vocabulary!
@@wingardwearables Never heard it before. I Googled it.
Throwing a tomahawk in battle is a myth? There is literally a country named after it. France.
Yes, I mentioned the Francisca in the video 👍
DAMAKOTA AKITCHITAW 🪓🔪
Why don't you just ask REAL LIFE ndn warrior's about such capabilities? No need to do the backwards scientific guess-work, not only are there how many living vets of combat BUT there are also many different teachers of indigenous martial arts alive and well! You've had to stumble upon George Lepine before, STOP PLAYIN ✋🏽😆
Oh I’ve definitely stumbled across Okichitaw. Are you an instructor? If not, who’s your favorite teacher of it? If you have their contact info, send email to be_edgy@wingardwearables.com so I can reach out to this person. I had some questions.
Matt Eastern did two videos where he reads period British news about the use of the tomahawk. There was a surprising amount of throwing happening in the ones he read too.
One of the most interesting is a report by a journalist about the militia where he describes them opening with muskets, as the enemy closes they switch to throwing tomahawk, then switch to pistols for really close combat.
Yeah those were great. I focused my search on digitized county histories-a bunch of books came out in 1840’s thru 1880’s, often edits of period letters or even interviews with living Revolutionary War vets. I didn’t want to cover the same sources that Matt used-not “value added” doing a retread.
But his videos were very interesting. I recall him reading about the “throw axes, switch to pistols” account-very strange-definitely not what I would have figured. But it’s the only time I heard of that claimed sequence of weapons.
@@wingardwearables I have no evidence, but I suspect that that particular unit was a ranger unit. Given the accuracy issues of what was likely smoothbore pistols the hawks were probably a better choice from 15-30 yards, within that they’d switch to the pistol, fire it, then roll it over and use it like a ball headed club. While pure speculation it’s how I would have done it.
@@jeffjag2691Scouts and they carried multiple hawks, taken from past kills, so as to not be unarmed. And at least some of the Europeans picked up the practice, there were regiments in Scotland in 1700s, practicing tomahawk tossing.
Zac this video was so damn cool & enlightening. I tend to forget how much I enjoy your content until I turn one of your longer form vids like this one. I really respect & adore your route of research you do for your products & videos. You are no doubt a wildman & expert in the ways of wildmanry which is my jam completely & totally. Do keep hitting us with more long form work whenever you take a notion. Hearing these historical reports on old time frontier combat based souly on providing knowledge on how your tools could/should/would actually be used in modern day is highly enjoyable & effective in its purpose. There's no way a guy who carries any blade at all could walk away from one of these videos without a solid dose of knowledge in his weapons & confidence in his resolve. Thank you Wingard Wearables!
Really appreciate your kind words-hopefully we can be more consistent with our long form video content. Lots of ideas just going to see how video creation goes in the future.
FANTASTIC Video my friend, really great job on this Topic! Also by sure to check out Chakram if you never heard about it and of course Samurai used bo shuriken for self defense throwing in too, actually throwing of hidden weapon was taugh in Shaolin Temple. Throwing anything in combat can give you great advantage when done right in proper context.
Thank you-love your content! We make a tomahawk that’s optimized for the throw-kinda like a hurlbat, only good for a lot of utility and combative applications. Email be_edgy@wingardwearables.com if interested in reviewing. Link to video about the axe: ruclips.net/video/8lLSDj3yxAY/видео.htmlsi=4axnS1MFG2O0VDGf Best of health to you.
Have hungamungas crossed your mind? If you guys made a gucci hungamunga I'd be selling my jordans in an hour.
Sell your jordans: www.wingardwearables.com/product-page/the-sparrowhawk
Dude, they make the sparrowhawk, and it looks so beautiful, if out of my price range😢. I am absolutely certain it is worth every penny, just can't quite afford it on a soldier's salary.
🤨this channel should be huge 🤷
Thank you, I hope it will happen but please share us-I know there are huge channels that could be into our content-Scholagladitoria or Skallagrim-but I don’t know how to “get on their radar”-I think it’s just gonna take commenting to get attention.
Thank you for this video and sharing your knowledge ,the whole journey of reenactmend.
Like I said once "You are a force in the tomahawk comunity!"
I'm throwing tomahawks regular scince 2019 now.I modified dozens of hawks and hatchets to get them lighter (just like you did),and tried to figure out what is possible. Questions to me was/is how far a tomahawk could be throwing acurate,and did natives used to throw to kill game?
Today I'm sure 60 feet is absolutly possible, takes realy much practice and a well suited hawk. Shorter handle ,right weight for the throwing person, maybe some feathers (try to figure that out next)etc.The damage a pointy handle can do is significantly for sure.
Also I agree with all your conclusions.
Another feint that was done,I think is to make it look you attack with a big swing ,but you let go and hit with a half rotation throw.May also pass over a defending arm /weapon.
Throwing tomahawk at a distance of one rotation was done alot in combat,I think.It is very easy,fast ,hard to spot for the attacked person.And eaven if they realize the throw, they have to react to that,and that gives the attacker an advantage cause the attacked has to deal with two threads (almost) at once.
I have seen a few accounts of tomahawks used as hunting weapons-in the chop, not in the throw. One account referenced going hunting for feral hogs using their tomahawks-they were near enemy territory so I think that was the reason-gunshots would draw the enemy’s attention. Another account was a man readying his flintlock to shoot a black bear as it came out its den. His hunting partner was poised with the tomahawks ready to hit the bear if the weapon misfired or failed to incapacitate it. There is also an account of a moose being taken out by a thrown axe cutting the blood vessels of the neck. That was from a colonial newspaper-I don’t know if they were using “tomahawk” as prevalently in the language then-would need to check the date of the paper. It could have been a thrown forestry axe for all I know. Thank you for your comment.
I agree on the better energy transfer from throwing. When I was spending a summer doing nothing but knife throwing, I threw one of my folding knives (which weighed a few ounces) as hard as I could using my whole body. It lodged almost half of the 2.5 inch blade in the dry wood log section I was using as a target. I forget if it knocked the log section over, but I do remember having to stand on the log to get the knife out again.
Yeah your comment makes me wonder. So a lot of knives get ruined/broken by throwing-so the purpose built throwing knives are usually from a lot higher toughness steels, some even in the 4300 series. Maybe that’s a sign that throwing generates more energy than other typical knife tasks-all that energy and reaction forces from the wood target have to go somewhere. A high hardness knife could break under repeated throws. This is a warranty statement from ESEE-which makes really hard use bushcraft blades “ESEE KNIVES ARE NOT THROWING KNIVES! They are hardened to a higher Rockwell than throwing knives and will most likely break if thrown, possibly harming the user. So, do yourself and your ESEE knife a favor and DO NOT throw it. Using any knife not meant to be thrown as a throwing knife is idiotic! We would rather idiots not buy our knives.”
@@wingardwearables Higher Rockwell rates tend to make the edges very sharp but very brittle. Lower Rockwell runs the risk of edge deformation or the whole blade bending, but not shattering. This is one of the reasons we see differential hardening on older sword designs and and other bladed items that were expected to encounter hard objects like armor or shields.
It's much easier to unbend a blade or resharpen an edge than to forge weld a blade back together. Softer iron or steel also has its benefits when it comes to shock absorption. I know Wilkinson sword used to have comparatively soft steel welded onto their blades to form the tang specifically to reduce the chance of the tang breaking from shock.
@@wingardwearablesjokes on them. If idiots didnt buy their knives theyd be out of business
@@trentgander5834exactly-in general the higher the hardness the lower the toughness. The ideal “blade steel” properties or construction will be dictated by the application. I often see folks requesting the latest knife steel to be used in a completely different application (for spike tools or tomahawks) and what works great for a pocket knife may not work well for other uses.
@@wingardwearables There so many boutique steels these days with the powder steel methods which tend to be really good at being hard and rust resistant. But may not have the internal structures to resist a heavy impact like an older tool steel might.
There's a reason blacksmithing has been considered almost magical throughout history.
I love your long form content. Always one of the twelve. Always share as well.
I very much appreciate that!
Good report and analysis -- thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it
Interesting, makes me want to design a series of disposable throwing weapons.
Check out Okichitaw, we've been the only throwing martial art for decades.
Keyword: reckless bravery.
Thank you for the comment. I follow a couple of Okichitaw accounts on Instagram. If you are a practitioner of Okichitaw, and posting content, just reply with your IG account and I’ll follow 👍
@@wingardwearablesI think I appear for a split second in a couple okichitaw trailer videos, don't upload myself, at least not yet.
We used to frequent the throwing ranges around Toronto like Stryke and batlaxe. Okimahkan George Lepine really is the real deal on fur traders and their martial history, he moves like an absolute fox for a guy bigger than I am.
@@TonyfromTOif you can, please email me contact info for an Okichitaw teacher-had some questions. Email is be_edgy@wingardwearables.com
You throw your weapon while attacking to take their concentration off you for a bit while you close the distance. This allows you to get the first attack moves. Makes a lot of sense especially when in confined environments.
Yeah, reminds me a bit of prison style knife fighting-throwing an object at an opponent’s eyes and immediately follow up with lunge, side control, and many thrusts
Ninjas did this with shruken, distract and get in close
Videos like this are greatly enjoyable. The historical accounts give everything much more credence
Glad you liked it!
They said they couldn't carry swords but I think that a short sword should work fine it's basically just a big knife in my not so humble opinion
The French report dated from the 1670’s, and I think that’s around where swords began transitioning from rapiers to smallswords. Rapiers did make it to the New World-I think there are examples found by archeologists from the Jamestown colonial settlement, but never caught on. I agree that a short sword-like a hunting sword, smallsword, or hanger-would not be impractical to carry in the woods. It seems like most Revolutionary War swords were of this type.
Indians carried more than one weapon.
Musket, Tomahawk, large knife, spear or war club.
Combat with technology of the time demanded aggression, disrupting and distracting your enemy if not killing them as you closed.
Agree!
The ancient Fijian warriors or Native Americans had no knowledge of modern sports physiology and did not devote their entire lives only to throwing.In addition, they did not have a specific protein diet, a massage therapist who would help them recover from training and other delights of modern sports. The Olympic throwers of hammers, discs, javelin of today are the people who can, with some training, send these tomahawks over much longer distances with amazing effect, leaving any warror of the pust far behind. But there is a nuance! Unlike throwing Olympic sports equipment, they won't get paid for it
I love this video. Really makes me want to keep practicing my tomahawk throwing.