Native Americans are famous for making several contributions to American society and culture, and are credited with helping to shape the United States. Many of these contributions, such as Thanksgiving, have become integral part of modern American culture, so much so that it’s difficult to imagine life without them. The same applies to the tomahawk axes.

Similar in shape and design to a hatchet, tomahawk axes were common tools and weapons used by Native Americans. Fascinated and intrigued by Native American ingenuity, European colonists soon began using tomahawk axes as well. They became so popular that they became a staple for members of the Royal Navy.

While most people are familiar with combat tomahawks, the Native Americans used tomahawk axes for a variety of other purposes. Though fighting tomahawks were used as weapons during times of war, overall, tomahawks were considered versatile, multipurpose tools and were used to carry out different bushcraft tasks such as chopping, cutting, skinning hides (knives were also used for this), and even digging. The Native Americans also hosted tomahawk throwing competitions for sport. In fact, these competitions are still held today by knife and tomahawk enthusiasts.

Today, tactical tomahawks are widely popular, and are used by outdoorsmen, military personnel, law enforcement officers, and government agencies. But what makes a tactical tomahawk tactical? It depends on its use.

For example, the tomahawks used by the military and government agencies are commonly used in search and rescue operations and in guerrilla warfare for breaching, prying, cutting, and breaking through tough materials such as glass, wood, and even metal. Contrary to popular belief, tactical tomahawks are not used in hand to hand combat. Though the Kalihawk was designed for use with martial arts, generally, modern tomahawks are considered tools.

However, while some tomahawks may look “tactical”, they’re designed more for aesthetic reasons than function. After the release the critically acclaimed Assassin’s Creed III video game, interest in fantasy tomahawks peaked and became popular among the gaming community.