Wisconsin, Joseph Jourdain, and His Pipe Tomahawks
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by Jake John Ilko, Jr. |
Central States Archaeological Societies 2023
October Journal |
Delafield, Wisconsin |
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This excerpt from "Wisconsin, Joseph Jourdain,
and His Pipe Tomahawks"
published
in the 2023 Central States Archaeological Societies 2023
October Journal
Read the complete column in the Central States
Archaeological Societies 2023
October Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2024
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Figure 1. The pipe tomahawk. It measues 6 11/16” in
length and is 2 3/4” wide at the bit. Bottom view shows tally
marks. Photography - Gene Hynek
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On January 2,1803, Joseph married the granddaughter of the Menominee chief,
L' Espagnol, ensuring a strong trading bond with the local Menominee Tribe.
This union begot eight children with two of his sons, Thomas, the eldest,
and William becoming blacksmiths, with Thomas often working with his father,
as an assistant.After working for Mr. Franks for several years and also
for himself for several years, he began a career with the British Detachment
(Neenah Historical Society, 29:44). While researching, I encountered two
different salaries in the year 1832 while Jourdain was employed at the US
Government Trading Factory, listing his salary at $360 a year (Nelson and
Hanson, p. 10). In contradiction, Jourdain’s descendants, speaking
in the Neenah Historical Society You Tube presentation at the time, 29:58,
state his salary was $480. In 1835, Jourdain was chosen, due to his prowess
and legendary skills at his anvil, to become the blacksmith for the Winnebago
Rapids Settlement Program for the US Government at a salary of $480 per year
with housing included. (Neenah Historical Society, time, 34:00). He prospered
there until his death in 1868. A list of payments by the US Government Sub
Agency at Green Bay made to Joseph Jourdain and, on occasion to his son,
Thomas, may be found in the University of Oklahoma article, “Letters
from the Second Auditor of the Treasury, transmitting statements of the disbursements
of money, goods, or effects for the benefit of the Indians, during the year
ending the 30th of September, 1840.” Jourdain, with his close association
to the Menominee Tribe, signed their September 3, 1836 Treaty (Tribal Treaties
Database).
Numerous accolades exist to the prowess, excellence, and superb ability
of Jourdain and his skills upon his anvil. “This celebrated smith was
a genius at the anvil, and made all the frontier hardware, repaired the guns,
and fabricated the tomahawk pipes which now {1907} sell for $25.00” (Nelson
and Hanson, p.10). The highly regarded Milford Chandler, an early and extraordinary
collector and scholar of Native American culture amassed a very noteworthy
collection of native artifacts and goods, stated unequivocally that Jourdain
was “the best-known tomahawk maker in America,...” (Nelson and
Hanson, p.12.). Carl P. Russell, the frontier artist, spoke very highly of
Jourdain's skills in the forge and wrote, ''....Joseph Jourdain, Green Bay,
Wisconsin was one of these....His most excellent pipe tomahawks, often marked
with an inlaid crescent in copper, won him wide recognition" (Nelson
and Hanson, p.14). Further, speaking of Jourdain.....''His pipe hawks became
the most sought out of the several kinds of pipe hawks available at the time
and his works were traded throughout central Wisconsin and eventually found
their way from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean and up into Canada''
(AAA Native Arts.com).
The Sioux scholar and noted pipe tomahawk historian and author, Mark Francis,
notes in his book, ''Jourdain's pipe tomahawks command top attention from
tomahawk collectors, as there are but a small handful in circulation in
any private collections or museums and authentic Jourdain pieces rarely come
up for sale.Jourdain's pipe tomahawks have a specific, identifiable art style
that can only be attributed to him" (Francis, 2022, p.39). As previously
noted, Jourdain's pipe tomahawks are ...
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