Stone Axe or Hammer

This is an attempt to fabricate a pre-contact style Abenaki stone ax/hammer. I gather stone, wood, leather, pitch/glue, bone and other natural materials and craft various implements and weapons using primitive as well as modern tools. The ax head is Burlington redstone, softer than Mohs 7 and can be shaped by grinding. The handle is ash from Underhill. The head was shaped, ground and grooved prior to hafting which was accomplished by carving a slot in the preshaped handle which was then soaked in hot water until pliable and bent to fit around the head. Eventually a rawhide strip was soaked in water then wrapped around handle and head. Rawhide shrinks when drying and makes a tight fastening. The handle was grooved to enhance the grip quality. Oil and beeswax protect the implement from moisture.  This example is durable but not well sharpened although redstone can be abraded for a fair cutting edge.

Crafted by Patrick “Blackhand” Lamphere, VAAA, St. Francis/Sokoki Band, Abenaki Nation of Missisquois, #65954.