While we often imagine that tomahawks were wielded in battle by our country’s early inhabitants, American Indians and mountain peoples rarely wielded their tomahawks or ‘hawks’ in battle. Even if a warrior successfully kills his target with his throw, it still means surrendering the weapon in the middle of the battle. Instead, the tomahawk was used primarily in hand-to-hand combat.
When people threw their tomahawks in the 19th century, they did it largely for fun. Once a year, the mountain people would gather in a gathering to trade the skins they had collected and to resupply. These gatherings became huge camps where men held all kinds of competitions, including tomahawk throwing. Some native tribes (who first originated the tomahawk) held similar competitions of skill for their men and they would even come to the camps of frontiersmen to engage in trade and throw some tomahawks with mountain men wearing deer skins.
Tomahawk throwing remains a fun activity in the 21st century. Few skills are as gratifying as being able to bury a tomahawk satisfactorily in a stump. thanks. Whether you’re in the backyard, at a campsite, or at an ax throwing establishment, tomahawk throwing is easy to understand (literally and figuratively) and a lot of fun to practice. As with most physical skills that require some finesse, it is more about intuitive mechanics than raw power.
A good throw – as mentioned above – depends on a comfortable grip, fluid movement, and allowing the tomahawk to complete its natural rotation. Master those basic principles, and you’ll be chugging blades with regularity, like the mountain man of old.
