How did early humans use a tomahawk?

Answer 1

ummm they sure did that's the most irresponsible most disappointing answer i have ever heard they used it by killing and hunting wild animals like birds, zebras, gazelles etc

Answer 2

Cartoon native Americans always carry a tomahawk, but in real history such things were not common. Before contact with Europeans, tribes used bows, arrows and various types of war club - including some with stone heads attached to short wooden handles, but these were more like hammers than axes.

Naturally most woodlands tribes made stone axes for trimming the branches and bark from trees felled by fire, but these were not normally carried into battle.

Only when Europeans arrived and supplied all kinds of metal tools did native Americans have access to efficient axes that could be used in hand-to-hand combat. These were all made by English, Spanish, French and later by American blacksmiths, each with a particular style of manufacture.

The natives could see the advantage of a metal tool that served just as well for killing enemies as lopping branches, so tomahawks became standard trade items. Most were then used as tools. It is significant that the English word tomahawk derives from the Delaware (Lenape) verb form tamahaaken (he uses for cutting) or the noun form tamahaakan (a thing used for cutting), referring to its use as a tool rather than as a weapon.

By the 19th century many Plains tribes had access to a combination of pipe and tomahawk offered by traders. This had a hollow shaft and a pipe bowl screwed in at the back of the axe head, which was made in many elaborate shapes. As a weapon it was useless (the hollow shaft would quickly break if you hit anything with it), but as a prestige item it was considered desirable by chiefs and other important warriors.

So the idea of all native Americans running around with tomahawks is pure fiction.

Answer 3

Early humans used tomahawks as versatile tools for a variety of tasks such as chopping wood, hunting, skinning animals, and as a weapon for self-defense. They were primarily made from stone or wood and could be easily carried and handled for daily activities.