What exactly was the Arkansas Toothpick? We look at some period newspaper accounts. Replica by Windlass: www.museumreplicas.com/battlecry-arkansas-toothpick-knife?affiliate=scholagladiatoria
Bowie owned and designed a number of knives that were different. In all cases these were identical to or based on earlier designs. The term Bowie knife is just an additional name for a knife when they did not know one.
The American Territories weren't a part of the U.S., their sheriff was the absolute authority of the town since they didn't need to abide by the Federal Constitution, being not a PART of America. This also was not common and was usually used to discriminate against specific people. (Usually ranch hands/cowboys.) This being the case: your statement of "In many American and Canadian towns, and places, you weren't allowed to walk around with firearms without a good reason" is incorrect for the U.S. side. The Territories weren't American land *yet*. No town in a State of this Republic had such rule regarding firearms until 1877 with Jim Crow, aimed exclusively at blacks in the south, and then the NFA in 1936.
Hey, I work for the Historic Arkansas Museum, where we have the original Bowie No. 1. Our specialty is 1830's-1840's Arkansas (around the time Bowie got his knife from James Black), specifically Little Rock, but we have done plenty of research into this for our Knife Gallery. Bowie wanted this knife made because he was a duellist, and a lot of the knives he was seeing on the market didn't really have the handle he was looking for. He wanted a fixed blade, and a handle that he could more easily hold in a handshake grip-- better for thrusts. The double-edged design is actually not what Bowie got from Black originally; Bowie No. 1 was single-edged, about the size of a long seax. It had the kind of broken back or drop point that you see on a lot of seaxes, and that broken back was sharpened for the exact reason you stated: better for thrusting. It functioned essentially as the "false edge," so to speak. After the famous (or infamous) Sandbar Fight, a lot of people came forth saying they wanted "a knife like Bowie's." As not every blacksmith knew exactly what Bowie's knife from James Black looked like, the design fluctuated a lot, and the name basically came to mean "a big knife." From our research, an "Arkansas Toothpick" can honestly refer to any number of blades in the time period. Arkansas was well-known for its knives, tbh. Our resident blacksmith regards the term as kind of an umbrella referring to big knives made in Arkansas in general. If it doesn't already have another name, it's likely to be referred to as an Arkansas Toothpick. Often in our sources, the term "Bowie Knife" and "Arkansas Toothpick" are interchangeable, but sometimes they're not. Naming conventions are weird and mostly arbitrary in a lot of these sources. TL;DR: "a knife like Bowie's" and "an Arkansas Toothpick" are sometimes interchangeable terms in Arkansas in the 1830's-40's, but not always. It's weird and arbitrary and more than a little dependent on the person doing the writing.
I have always read that the actual Bowie knife that James Bowie carried and died with at the Alamo has been ‘lost to history’ and that there is no certainty as to its precise appearance and dimensions .
@@edmundcharles5278 Bowie had several knives made over the course of his life. He may well have died with one of them at the Alamo. While that one may be lost, the one made by James Black is not
As an Arkansan I’ve always understood the “Bowie knife” was made in Arkansas for Bowie and the name Arkansas toothpick was pretty much a Bowie knife. In references I’ve always seen the Arkansas toothpick as a knife Matt has here. Naming conventions, in time, are always muddled up and we like to try and clarify where there never was any clarity
Arkansas has swamps? Im from louisiana i just tend to avoid anything above I10 as the farther you get from it the faster people lose the ability to cook 😂😂😂
@@slowbra94 my brother, Arkansas people is our kind of people. Is their roux strong? Probably not but can they fry fish and back strap and cook a ribeye Hell yes.
You kill a guy on a sandbar once and suddenly the history of American fighting knives just poofs out of existence. Thanks for bringing up a classic blade.
I mentioned dueling in early American history in the wrong place and got immediately banned. I too am happy that this history is remembered, good or bad.
Yep. Gun and dagger was a combo literally pre-dating the colonial era. Mostly popular in South America where Columbus actually began expedition there..
@@Technoanima don't forget about the old musket and clock work pistol designs, I believe Spanish made, that had a Club or Axe blade on the end of the grip so after you fired your shot it would also serve as a more effective melee weapon.
Arkansan here. I live about thirty minutes from Washington AR where the original Bowie was forged and I can tell you the Bowie they have on display that was forged to the dimensions of the original is a beast!
"Jocktileg," from old Scots language, is a small folding pen knife with a handle usually carved in the shape of the lower human leg. Some references spell it as joctileg, jocteleg, etc.
The sheer level of research that you incorporate into each video is always impressive. The impression I get is that an "Arkansas Toothpick" is a large knife wielded by a someone from Arkansas. In similar vagueness as "Samurai Sword"
@@Grunttamer so which specific type of knife is the one that is variously described as a folding Bowie knife, fixed blade Bowie knife, and long double edged knife? There seems be one consistent definition across history that has more to do with use than form. If you want to say that the specific type changed across time that's a fair argument. But you would need to substantiate that claim.
@@kyuken893 as an Arkansan that has seen many Arkansas toothpicks none of which would be folding, or resemble a Bowie knife. They are always large, two edged, symmetrical, pointed, knives with some sort of hand protection. The most important aspect is it must come to a point and nearly comical in scale
I tried looking into this a couple of years ago. The Bowie was definitely known as an Arkansas Toothpick. But as far as could tell, so was the stabbey double edged knife. I came to the conclusion this was because they were both " invented " in Arkansas ( and James Black was involved with both perhaps ). Either way, I wouldn't want to try picking my teeth with either of the things lol.
The knife that I saw that I thought made most sense as an Arkensaw toothpick was like a long narrow Bowie knife eg a parallel bladed single edge with a slightly swept back clip point . A knife on the way to a full bore Bowie. I did have a look at these in a semi diligent way a few years ago. and all I can say, is nobody is prepared to nail their flag to the mast on the original form of the Arkensaw Toothpick !
The writing in the encounter with the wolf is 1) amazing, and 2) demonstrates that folk were clearly and actively seeking out creative colloquialisms to use in their descriptive writing. When people are writing like that, they might describe a letter-opener as "An Arkansas Toothpick" if it added color to the story.
When I was younger, much, I was given to understand the Arkansas Toothpick specifically had a symmetrical blade, in the form of a long, narrow isosceles triangle. The blade triangle was very accute, and straight edged. The example I was shown was diamond cross sectioned, and quite stiff. That last might actually be the "thick back," double-edged form described in one of your entries.
An important point to consider is the references and comparisons to "spanish knives". Around that time period and earlier the Navaja was popular amongst gypsies and the spanish lower classes and was a folding knife of various styles and blade lengths. Some were thin bladed and very long which I could see getting called a "pocket dirk" whereas others had wide clip point blades indistinguishable from many types of bowie knife. Another important point is that in the US we are VERY prone to using generalist terms for anything of like kind. For example both in contemporary sources and even old western movies you'd often find any revolver called a colt or any lever action called a winchester, regardless of their actual manufacturer. I believe it was much the same for the knives in that any particularly large knife came to be referred to as a bowie knife and/or one of its associative slang terms. Calling a large knife a "pig sticker" is still common to this day in many parts of the south were I lived regardless of the design or purpose of the knife or even the fact that not many people in my area hunted or even raised pigs. TLDR I think calling large knives bowie knives or arkansas toothpick is the equivalent of calling sparkling wine "champagne" even if it didnt come from that region of frog land.
In my youth (speaking as a 49-year-old American), I was (mis)informed that the Arkansas Toothpick was simply a nickname for the Bowie. Not until this century did I hear the name being used to refer to a dagger, and THIS video is the very first I've heard of either the peculiar folding Bowies OR the name being applied to them.
in NY pistol and rifle v Bruen the US supreme court ruled that any weapons law has to have a equivalent law from the time of the Founding to the Reformation; in which all of the laws from the 19th century mentioned and prior laws that fostered this knife-fighting culture are and were Constitutional infringements. Cool video! I love bowies and this form is especially magnificent.
Thanks for the Video. I saw the Arkansas toothpick in a catalog in the 1990's always wanted to buy it, as I was a teenager My mom did not let me. This is the second time I have seen it., I forgot about it until your video:)
this looks like a very effective knife in a knife fight. only thing that worries me that it might be slightly to heavy. but with the reach and the strong thrust it would be force to reckon with in a knife fight.
A standard bowie knife is a bit front heavy, kind of like a cleaver or axe, which makes sense as bowie knives usually serve as both tools and weapons but are better as a tool, namely chopping small wood for a fire or skinning game. The arkansas toothpick, as it appears in this video, would be deathly nimble as it can be made thinner due to it being double-edged. While the arkansas tooth pick can also fill the roles given to standard bowie knives such as being both a tool and weapon. It is unlike the bowie knife, which is designed as a weapon first and tool second. TLDR: Bowie Knife is a better tool than weapon. Arkansas toothpick is a better weapon than tool.
As an Arkie descendant, and a toothpick myself (hey, I'm skinny. What?) I appreciate you taking the time to set this record straight. Well, as straight as it could be... I'm a believer that the Arkansas Toothpick is a folding lintel lock blade, that is hilted and has a bossel and pommel where the blade is a third longer than the handle.
I happen to know that in the first half of the 1800's Bowie Knives made in Arkansas were generally thinner than Bowie Knives made in other parts of the U.S. giving them a long thin look. It could be that over time this style co-evolved into the dirk style two edge knife and the other folding traditional clip point Bowie Knife, both getting the Arkansas Toothpick name.
Jim Bowie was known as a knife fighter and preferred a longer, thick blade that he generally used edge up.The blacksmith referred to in Old Washington, Arkansas is rumored to have made several knives for the Bowie brothers. I prefer the Arkansas toothpick type blade. It allows more options when being wielded as necessary. Nice presentation of these very effective blades.
It's a shame Bill Bagwell is no longer with us. His bowies were a sight to behold,. He utilized the Spanish notch a nd the guards trapped in conmming thrust. Jim Keating has picked up torch, his skill is spectacular .
People also used the Arkansas Thooth pick as a tooth pick. They also used it to hunt black bear with a friend backing them up with a rifle or shotgun. Lot of friendships were lost because they shot the vear too soon.
Colt's first "Belt Model" revolver that was resonable to carry was 1851 (and expensive) so knives like this and the bowie knife were prevalent. Though I'd argue the knives stayed prevalent through the enitre Frontier era moving from fighting knife to tool/fighting knife. Hell our current M9 Bayonet for the M16/M4 Platform is a Bowie Knife and the M7 Bayonet was more like the one in the Video.
I like to go hiking with a brass basket rapier when I'm up in the mountains; when you put a sheathe on it, it looks like a fancy hiking stick to the untrained eye. It allows me to get some upper body exercise when hiking and nobody's watching, but I'll bet some of those Appalachian mountain men had swords like that for more than just having fun in the mountains.
The Arkansas toothpick is a smaller version of the Bowie knife. You mention in historical text where they have said that it is smaller. It is the same blade length of a traditional caring knife, but Texas is made for big things so Arkansas has the toothpick.
FWIW, there are Americans whose name is 'Bowie' and pronounce it just as you say the Scottish name. But there are another set, whose name is spelled exactly the same, who pronounce it the way you observe Texans pronounce the name of the knife. Jim Bowie, who developed the famous knife, was one of the latter.
As an American, from Indiana having lived in Georgia, Florida, California, The UK, and in Utah Currently. The Blade you are holding has always been called an Arkansas Toothpick in every state I’ve lived in (I’m 65 this year) having had Law Enforcement Experience in several states and a Veteran United States Marine. Every state has different laws as to what type of knife can be considered a concealed weapon. That is not an illegal blade to possess but you won’t be able to carry that in most states concealed. Bowie knives are any long blade with a clip or false edge like the Marine Corps KBar is considered a Bowie style knife.
Another great video. Can you do a video on the paddle knife? I think the paddle knife is interesting because photos of them show that they were double edged with a flat cross section.
As someone who hails from Alabama I never knew about the Arkansas Toothpick laws. However I can see where that might have come into existence with duels breaking out from unwise soul referring to Alabamians as lizards.🦎 😁Never heard of that nickname either maybe because the term was cut from the colloquial vocabulary for being considered a too piercing a label? 🔪 🗡️ 🤔 The Alabama Meat Axe Bowie is also a new term … though I picture it resembling Krag Bowie Bayonet for some reason. Thanks for sharing Matt!
I remember reading that Jim Bowie had his famous knife custom sized, because he had huge hands, from a common Mexican knife design and that after the battle at the Alamo several knives clamed to be Jim Bowies personal knife were sold making me wonder if Bowie's knife became The Bowie Knife and therefore the common name for that particular shape or design.
Im very shocked you did not use one example of the Alabama Unit of the Confederacy or any Southern unit? It looks like you had one on the front page icon? Many Confederate soldiers had they're pictures taken with such pistols rifles and Knives. All you have to do is google it and they come up no confusion. The CSA distributed some knives to units and these are easily referenced. Deo Vindice
The conclusion I drew, from the historical sources presented, is that "Arkansas Toothpick" seems to have originated simply as a euphemistic synonym for "knife" rather than describing a particular type of knife? As to the pronunciation of Bowie, the mention of the surname originating in Scotland reminded me that my Australian Bowie relatives of Scottish descent pronounce the 'bow' in their name the same way as the 'bow' of a ship is pronounced. That caused me to realise that, much like the various English spellings of identical surnames, we maintain 'heard' pronunciations while speaking in our own accents and forget that the pronunciation originally heard was spoken by someone with a completely different accent. For example, depending on the strength of their accent and the accent of the listener, a speaker of Scottish English might describe the two ends of a ship to sound like: 'boo n stun', 'beau nd sturn', or 'bow and stern'; thus giving us 'boo-ee', 'beu-ee', and 'bow-ee'.
Common pistols were still single shot at that time which limited their usefulness. Town Sheriffs could dictate arms that could be carried, but generally speaking there weren’t standardized laws limiting arms.
The thing is the Arkansas toothpick is a slang term that spread through about 70 years of American venacular speccifically infrintier amd rural areas and persisted for another 70 after that. Originally it was probably the double sided dirk style knife but through the years it kind of just morphed into a big knife specifically used to fight people. You have to remember most of the people had just heard the term but never actually saw one, so as the term spread they would just use it how they understood it, a big scary knife carried by ne'er do wells. Then later knife manufacturers started marketing models of their knifes by the popular term.
My best friend's sister married a man from Arkansas. He is an avid antique 'pick' collector and showed me his collection once. All of his toothpicks were double edged and shaped like the one in the video. Some were shorter and, If I remember correctly, all were a bit narrower. Very pointy. None looked like "Bowie" knifes.
Hi is there any chance you can do a video about the River Witham sword (not the viking one) and if there are any good sharp replicas out there. Only one I've found is the Hanwei model. Love all the information you put out
The impression that I get from the sources read out in the video is that "Bowie knife" often described purpose rather than a type of knife. I mean like an "outdoors knife" or "self defense" knife. This is how a Bowie knife (refering to purpose) can also be an Arkensas Toothpick (describing a type) in some of the sources.
5:26 not to mention that New Orleans was full of Italian immigrants, and they carried knife fighting culture of Southern Europe with them 12:56 iirc a jockteleg is a large pocket knife, similar to the ones carries by sailors
I live in Michigan and I’ve only ever heard people pronounce bowie knife as bow-ie with a hard O. The other pronunciation I’ve only ever heard in youtube videos
"Malice aforethought' is an old legal term for premeditation. So the Arkansas law mentioning it (23:10ish) is saying that if one used a Bowie knife or like weapon one was to be assumed to be guilty of premeditated murder as if one had planned to kill. This often times meant that the user of said weapon could face the death penalty just as if they had planned the homicide weeks in advance and stalked the victim with the intent to kill. It wouldn't have made a claim of self-defense impossible, esp. if the victim also had a similar weapon but it would made such defenses extremely hard to prove. At least if I remember my law school training correctly (it has been a few years ;-)
You mention that even though fire arms were prevalent, they were restricted in many American and Canadian towns, and therefore knives were still popular....100% still true today, not a good thing, mind you, but ya...even though knife fights seem to be something from 200+ years ago, it's the most popular weapon in my city...
I believe (obligatory not a lawyer) than in Pennsylvania, carrying a double edged blade is illegal because it has no utilitarian use- it's a weapon and useless for anything else. Single edged blades are legal to carry if appropriate. Carrying a large knife while working on a farm or camping won't be a problem, but that same knife in a city at night would be. Common sense actually seems to work on this. I'd like to hear more clear legal opinions on it in my state. I mention it because he mentions Italy had different laws for single and double edged knives and I wonder how common that is.
Lol!! I grew up in Texas and went to James Bowie Elementary school in Abilene. Yes, we pronounce the name "Boowie" but I don't know of any true Texan who would tell anyone from across the pond, how they should "correctly" pronounce the name. Pronounce it however you choose. Everyone knows what you mean and there's no need to be pedantic.
I generally love your presentation, but even if it's not clear which pronunciation of Bowie is correct, I do wish you would just pick one and stick with it.
you'll have to excuse my bad memory especially for precise dates etc, now the history of the Bowie knife is still good for printed articles even now one I read a while said "and by 'insert date' Sheffield companies were exporting by the tens of thousands Bowies and 'other large fighting knives' to America these were of various blade lengths and styles and were etched with various manly or even blood curdling phrases" don't forget that there are variations in blade shapes acceptable as historic Bowies including spear point not double edged
I'm surprised even though you had a Confederate image in your video thumbnail, there was no mention of multiple existing photographs Confederate soldiers displaying the Arkansas toothpick in the American Civil War. Many of them brandishing them unsheathed. Originals are highly desirable in the collecting community.
As a kentuckian, I would be remiss not to point out one of the most famous users of the bowie knife, Cassius M Clay, who served in multiple wars, and contributed greatly to the civil rights movement.
If you want to get the real deal bowie, get a CSA D guard bowie. Thats what every American thinks of when someone says bowie knife. Alabama's governor, Kay Ivy signed HB 272 for constitutional carry and the repeal of knife bans making it legal to carry concealed knifes and firearms without a permit. The law went into effect on January 1, 2023.
It is worth noting that it's often (if not usually) illegal to carry double edged blades in the U.S.. It makes me somewhat wonder when those laws started going on the books.
It is in a few states, but most states you can carry double edge blades just fine. A lot of states have been getting rid of old knife restrictions in the last 10 years.
In the early to mid 1800s when these were common the pistols a man might carry were single-shot. A backup weapon would have been considered critical in a context where group violence might be looked for. In a serious encounter one would discharge the rifle, then the pistol, then go to blade work.
I believe you have it right here. A lone man on the frontier could be beset with many enemies and have only single shot firearms and a blade to defend his life. Colonel Colt changed the dynamic a bit.
I think I know what's going on with the 1837 Alabama Law. It sounds like knife fighting had become a problem in Alabama. Normally if two people were knife fighting; neither intended to kill the other; and they were just striking to harm but not kill; then if one person later died of their wounds, a good lawyer could convince a jury that the crime was manslaughter and not murder. The defendant lacked the proper mens rea for (mental state) for murder. The defendant would then be liable for a reduced sentence and no death penalty. It sounds like the Alabama Legislature wanted to make using a large fighting knife, in and of itself, sufficient evidence that the defendant acted with malice aforethought (the intent to kill). As a matter of law, the choice of weapon now satisfied the mens rea for murder. Now the defendant can't get the crime reduced to manslaughter and is liable for a longer sentence, up to and including the death penalty.
Do you think that Spain influenced American knives and fighting styles ? If so, how great of an influence did Spain's 900 years of combat with Persians have on their weapons and fencing?
I have a blade that was sold as an Arkansas Toothpick, but I hilted it as a 14th century ballock dagger. My son has a deep puckered scar on his belly from that blade. (It's his navel. I used the dagger to cut his umbilical when he was born.)
Your Bowie knife is perhaps the right shape and configuration, but I believe that it is, over-all, too small. Legend says that James Bowie specified that the knife he was commissioning should be, (among other things), big and heavy enough to be used for chopping. I think, therefore, that a Bowie knife should be generally more massive.
He burned his hat? 😂 Daaam he must really hate wolfes.. You haved said a lot about the fairban sykes.. I am curious why its not so long like this Arkansas toothpick dagger. Any theory?.. And i really wanna see the test.. I write in past for me feels the windlass produkts sometimes heavier than the really usable items😮
Re: "Bow-ee" vs. "Boo-wee": Simple fact is that many European names came to be pronounced differently (i.e. wrong) in early America. Happened a lot with names of French or Spanish origin. So, yeah, the "Texas pronunciation" is wrong, but...well...it is Texas, after all. They get a lot of things wrong there.
What exactly was the Arkansas Toothpick? We look at some period newspaper accounts. Replica by Windlass: www.museumreplicas.com/battlecry-arkansas-toothpick-knife?affiliate=scholagladiatoria
You accidentally pronounced "legislature" almost like a true Southerner!
Bowie owned and designed a number of knives that were different. In all cases these were identical to or based on earlier designs. The term Bowie knife is just an additional name for a knife when they did not know one.
Oh yeah ! Bad assery !!!!
The American Territories weren't a part of the U.S., their sheriff was the absolute authority of the town since they didn't need to abide by the Federal Constitution, being not a PART of America. This also was not common and was usually used to discriminate against specific people. (Usually ranch hands/cowboys.)
This being the case: your statement of "In many American and Canadian towns, and places, you weren't allowed to walk around with firearms without a good reason" is incorrect for the U.S. side. The Territories weren't American land *yet*. No town in a State of this Republic had such rule regarding firearms until 1877 with Jim Crow, aimed exclusively at blacks in the south, and then the NFA in 1936.
Yisss the 'murican biodag 🤠
Hey, I work for the Historic Arkansas Museum, where we have the original Bowie No. 1. Our specialty is 1830's-1840's Arkansas (around the time Bowie got his knife from James Black), specifically Little Rock, but we have done plenty of research into this for our Knife Gallery. Bowie wanted this knife made because he was a duellist, and a lot of the knives he was seeing on the market didn't really have the handle he was looking for. He wanted a fixed blade, and a handle that he could more easily hold in a handshake grip-- better for thrusts. The double-edged design is actually not what Bowie got from Black originally; Bowie No. 1 was single-edged, about the size of a long seax. It had the kind of broken back or drop point that you see on a lot of seaxes, and that broken back was sharpened for the exact reason you stated: better for thrusting. It functioned essentially as the "false edge," so to speak. After the famous (or infamous) Sandbar Fight, a lot of people came forth saying they wanted "a knife like Bowie's." As not every blacksmith knew exactly what Bowie's knife from James Black looked like, the design fluctuated a lot, and the name basically came to mean "a big knife."
From our research, an "Arkansas Toothpick" can honestly refer to any number of blades in the time period. Arkansas was well-known for its knives, tbh. Our resident blacksmith regards the term as kind of an umbrella referring to big knives made in Arkansas in general. If it doesn't already have another name, it's likely to be referred to as an Arkansas Toothpick. Often in our sources, the term "Bowie Knife" and "Arkansas Toothpick" are interchangeable, but sometimes they're not. Naming conventions are weird and mostly arbitrary in a lot of these sources.
TL;DR: "a knife like Bowie's" and "an Arkansas Toothpick" are sometimes interchangeable terms in Arkansas in the 1830's-40's, but not always. It's weird and arbitrary and more than a little dependent on the person doing the writing.
I have always read that the actual Bowie knife that James Bowie carried and died with at the Alamo has been ‘lost to history’ and that there is no certainty as to its precise appearance and dimensions .
@@edmundcharles5278 Bowie had several knives made over the course of his life. He may well have died with one of them at the Alamo. While that one may be lost, the one made by James Black is not
Personally, I think the term 'Bowie Knife's was nothing more than a marketing ploy.
@@bbtfan7957 sure, maybe, but that's the story, anyhow.
As an Arkansan I’ve always understood the “Bowie knife” was made in Arkansas for Bowie and the name Arkansas toothpick was pretty much a Bowie knife.
In references I’ve always seen the Arkansas toothpick as a knife Matt has here.
Naming conventions, in time, are always muddled up and we like to try and clarify where there never was any clarity
As an actual Arkansas swamp person, I approve this video.
Greetings from Fort Smith!
As your Louisianian swamp neighbor I endorse your approval
Arkansas has swamps? Im from louisiana i just tend to avoid anything above I10 as the farther you get from it the faster people lose the ability to cook 😂😂😂
@@slowbra94 my brother, Arkansas people is our kind of people. Is their roux strong? Probably not but can they fry fish and back strap and cook a ribeye Hell yes.
As an Arkansas mountain man, we like big ahh knifes
You kill a guy on a sandbar once and suddenly the history of American fighting knives just poofs out of existence. Thanks for bringing up a classic blade.
I mentioned dueling in early American history in the wrong place and got immediately banned. I too am happy that this history is remembered, good or bad.
To be fair the knife design that got the popularity(though probably doesn’t look like the original) looks really nice
Yep. Gun and dagger was a combo literally pre-dating the colonial era. Mostly popular in South America where Columbus actually began expedition there..
@@Technoanima don't forget about the old musket and clock work pistol designs, I believe Spanish made, that had a Club or Axe blade on the end of the grip so after you fired your shot it would also serve as a more effective melee weapon.
@@Cronama Bowie killed 3 men at that fight and injured 2 more .
Arkansan here. I live about thirty minutes from Washington AR where the original Bowie was forged and I can tell you the Bowie they have on display that was forged to the dimensions of the original is a beast!
"That's a knife? THIS is a knife!"
- Jim Bowie
This is a knife!!!-Some German guy pulling out a Messer.
"take your protein pills and put your helmet on"
-Bowie
"Lift heavy, eat your multies and stay alfa".🗿🐸
Aussie said that,not jim
@@Ohnyet you ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, huh?
"Jocktileg," from old Scots language, is a small folding pen knife with a handle usually carved in the shape of the lower human leg. Some references spell it as joctileg, jocteleg, etc.
The sheer level of research that you incorporate into each video is always impressive.
The impression I get is that an "Arkansas Toothpick" is a large knife wielded by a someone from Arkansas.
In similar vagueness as "Samurai Sword"
no it's a type of knife not just a knife held by an Arkansan
@@Grunttamer so which specific type of knife is the one that is variously described as a folding Bowie knife, fixed blade Bowie knife, and long double edged knife?
There seems be one consistent definition across history that has more to do with use than form.
If you want to say that the specific type changed across time that's a fair argument. But you would need to substantiate that claim.
@@kyuken893 as an Arkansan that has seen many Arkansas toothpicks none of which would be folding, or resemble a Bowie knife. They are always large, two edged, symmetrical, pointed, knives with some sort of hand protection. The most important aspect is it must come to a point and nearly comical in scale
I tried looking into this a couple of years ago. The Bowie was definitely known as an Arkansas Toothpick. But as far as could tell, so was the stabbey double edged knife. I came to the conclusion this was because they were both " invented " in Arkansas ( and James Black was involved with both perhaps ). Either way, I wouldn't want to try picking my teeth with either of the things lol.
The knife that I saw that I thought made most sense as an Arkensaw toothpick was like a long narrow Bowie knife eg a parallel bladed single edge with a slightly swept back clip point . A knife on the way to a full bore Bowie. I did have a look at these in a semi diligent way a few years ago. and all I can say, is nobody is prepared to nail their flag to the mast on the original form of the Arkensaw Toothpick !
The writing in the encounter with the wolf is 1) amazing, and 2) demonstrates that folk were clearly and actively seeking out creative colloquialisms to use in their descriptive writing. When people are writing like that, they might describe a letter-opener as "An Arkansas Toothpick" if it added color to the story.
When I was younger, much, I was given to understand the Arkansas Toothpick specifically had a symmetrical blade, in the form of a long, narrow isosceles triangle. The blade triangle was very accute, and straight edged. The example I was shown was diamond cross sectioned, and quite stiff. That last might actually be the "thick back," double-edged form described in one of your entries.
An an Arkansan, I love this
An important point to consider is the references and comparisons to "spanish knives". Around that time period and earlier the Navaja was popular amongst gypsies and the spanish lower classes and was a folding knife of various styles and blade lengths. Some were thin bladed and very long which I could see getting called a "pocket dirk" whereas others had wide clip point blades indistinguishable from many types of bowie knife. Another important point is that in the US we are VERY prone to using generalist terms for anything of like kind. For example both in contemporary sources and even old western movies you'd often find any revolver called a colt or any lever action called a winchester, regardless of their actual manufacturer. I believe it was much the same for the knives in that any particularly large knife came to be referred to as a bowie knife and/or one of its associative slang terms. Calling a large knife a "pig sticker" is still common to this day in many parts of the south were I lived regardless of the design or purpose of the knife or even the fact that not many people in my area hunted or even raised pigs. TLDR I think calling large knives bowie knives or arkansas toothpick is the equivalent of calling sparkling wine "champagne" even if it didnt come from that region of frog land.
In my youth (speaking as a 49-year-old American), I was (mis)informed that the Arkansas Toothpick was simply a nickname for the Bowie. Not until this century did I hear the name being used to refer to a dagger, and THIS video is the very first I've heard of either the peculiar folding Bowies OR the name being applied to them.
in NY pistol and rifle v Bruen the US supreme court ruled that any weapons law has to have a equivalent law from the time of the Founding to the Reformation; in which all of the laws from the 19th century mentioned and prior laws that fostered this knife-fighting culture are and were Constitutional infringements.
Cool video! I love bowies and this form is especially magnificent.
Thanks for the Video. I saw the Arkansas toothpick in a catalog in the 1990's always wanted to buy it, as I was a teenager My mom did not let me. This is the second time I have seen it., I forgot about it until your video:)
You've hit upon another subject that I hold dear to my heart. Very fun.
this looks like a very effective knife in a knife fight. only thing that worries me that it might be slightly to heavy. but with the reach and the strong thrust it would be force to reckon with in a knife fight.
Diamond profile blades a wickedly light. This would definitely handle faster than a bowie knife.
A standard bowie knife is a bit front heavy, kind of like a cleaver or axe, which makes sense as bowie knives usually serve as both tools and weapons but are better as a tool, namely chopping small wood for a fire or skinning game.
The arkansas toothpick, as it appears in this video, would be deathly nimble as it can be made thinner due to it being double-edged. While the arkansas tooth pick can also fill the roles given to standard bowie knives such as being both a tool and weapon. It is unlike the bowie knife, which is designed as a weapon first and tool second.
TLDR:
Bowie Knife is a better tool than weapon.
Arkansas toothpick is a better weapon than tool.
As an Arkie descendant, and a toothpick myself (hey, I'm skinny. What?) I appreciate you taking the time to set this record straight. Well, as straight as it could be...
I'm a believer that the Arkansas Toothpick is a folding lintel lock blade, that is hilted and has a bossel and pommel where the blade is a third longer than the handle.
my two favorites are the USMC Kabar and Fairbarin Sykes fighting knife.
I happen to know that in the first half of the 1800's Bowie Knives made in Arkansas were generally thinner than Bowie Knives made in other parts of the U.S. giving them a long thin look. It could be that over time this style co-evolved into the dirk style two edge knife and the other folding traditional clip point Bowie Knife, both getting the Arkansas Toothpick name.
5:02 - Imagine a duel with shotguns ! On the individual level, you won't do that too often.
Colonel Sanders of KFC fame had a shotgun duel once with a chicken livered competitor 😂
You make alot of sense in this video...great job
Jim Bowie was known as a knife fighter and preferred a longer, thick blade that he generally used edge up.The blacksmith referred to in Old Washington, Arkansas is rumored to have made several knives for the Bowie brothers. I prefer the Arkansas toothpick type blade. It allows more options when being wielded as necessary. Nice presentation of these very effective blades.
It's a shame Bill Bagwell is no longer with us. His bowies were a sight to behold,. He utilized the Spanish notch a nd the guards trapped in conmming thrust.
Jim Keating has picked up torch, his skill is spectacular .
Surprisingly interesting topic. The knife looks really good.
People also used the Arkansas Thooth pick as a tooth pick. They also used it to hunt black bear with a friend backing them up with a rifle or shotgun. Lot of friendships were lost because they shot the vear too soon.
Thank you for making this video!! I am currently working on thesis about the origins and geological usages.
Colt's first "Belt Model" revolver that was resonable to carry was 1851 (and expensive) so knives like this and the bowie knife were prevalent. Though I'd argue the knives stayed prevalent through the enitre Frontier era moving from fighting knife to tool/fighting knife. Hell our current M9 Bayonet for the M16/M4 Platform is a Bowie Knife and the M7 Bayonet was more like the one in the Video.
I like to go hiking with a brass basket rapier when I'm up in the mountains; when you put a sheathe on it, it looks like a fancy hiking stick to the untrained eye. It allows me to get some upper body exercise when hiking and nobody's watching, but I'll bet some of those Appalachian mountain men had swords like that for more than just having fun in the mountains.
The “Alabama meat-axe” sounds like something out of a Clive Barker fever-dream, or an early Magic card.
I think the "thick backed and two edged" might refer to a sharpened false edge like you get on some backswords and messers.
Please in that review mention how it feels as a fighting knife.
The Arkansas toothpick is a smaller version of the Bowie knife. You mention in historical text where they have said that it is smaller. It is the same blade length of a traditional caring knife, but Texas is made for big things so Arkansas has the toothpick.
FWIW, there are Americans whose name is 'Bowie' and pronounce it just as you say the Scottish name. But there are another set, whose name is spelled exactly the same, who pronounce it the way you observe Texans pronounce the name of the knife. Jim Bowie, who developed the famous knife, was one of the latter.
I currently live in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. They call us Trolls, because we live under the bridge.
You sure do have a nice collection
A folding narrow Bowie Knife? I’ve always known those as Pig Stickers. Guess it’s not as old a term as I thought…
As an American, from Indiana having lived in Georgia, Florida, California, The UK, and in Utah Currently. The Blade you are holding has always been called an Arkansas Toothpick in every state I’ve lived in (I’m 65 this year) having had Law Enforcement Experience in several states and a Veteran United States Marine. Every state has different laws as to what type of knife can be considered a concealed weapon. That is not an illegal blade to possess but you won’t be able to carry that in most states concealed. Bowie knives are any long blade with a clip or false edge like the Marine Corps KBar is considered a Bowie style knife.
Nice piece.
Can you do a video about the Geman hunting knife with the clamshell and actually what the clam shell is their for?
The Swamp Fox of Old New Orleans approves the versatility of facts presented 😎
Another great video.
Can you do a video on the paddle knife? I think the paddle knife is interesting because photos of them show that they were double edged with a flat cross section.
Hallo,I have one from Cold steel.Its really big dagger!
I would like to see the different variants. I have seen a few that look much different.
Bowie = a Scottish Clan
Bowie = an American Frontiersman
Bowie = a bloke from Brixton
The grip handle is referred to as a coffin grip as the the handle resembles a small coffin
As someone who hails from Alabama I never knew about the Arkansas Toothpick laws. However I can see where that might have come into existence with duels breaking out from unwise soul referring to Alabamians as lizards.🦎 😁Never heard of that nickname either maybe because the term was cut from the colloquial vocabulary for being considered a too piercing a label? 🔪 🗡️ 🤔 The Alabama Meat Axe Bowie is also a new term … though I picture it resembling Krag Bowie Bayonet for some reason. Thanks for sharing Matt!
that first bowie you showed off at 18 seconds... who made that? is that a production piece, or a custom? it's beautiful. I want one. Who's the maker?
I remember reading that Jim Bowie had his famous knife custom sized, because he had huge hands, from a common Mexican knife design and that after the battle at the Alamo several knives clamed to be Jim Bowies personal knife were sold making me wonder if Bowie's knife became The Bowie Knife and therefore the common name for that particular shape or design.
Im very shocked you did not use one example of the Alabama Unit of the Confederacy or any Southern unit? It looks like you had one on the front page icon? Many Confederate soldiers had they're pictures taken with such pistols rifles and Knives. All you have to do is google it and they come up no confusion. The CSA distributed some knives to units and these are easily referenced. Deo Vindice
The conclusion I drew, from the historical sources presented, is that "Arkansas Toothpick" seems to have originated simply as a euphemistic synonym for "knife" rather than describing a particular type of knife?
As to the pronunciation of Bowie, the mention of the surname originating in Scotland reminded me that my Australian Bowie relatives of Scottish descent pronounce the 'bow' in their name the same way as the 'bow' of a ship is pronounced. That caused me to realise that, much like the various English spellings of identical surnames, we maintain 'heard' pronunciations while speaking in our own accents and forget that the pronunciation originally heard was spoken by someone with a completely different accent. For example, depending on the strength of their accent and the accent of the listener, a speaker of Scottish English might describe the two ends of a ship to sound like: 'boo n stun', 'beau nd sturn', or 'bow and stern'; thus giving us 'boo-ee', 'beu-ee', and 'bow-ee'.
Cheers from you "Colonist" friends!
I saw a Bowie knife marked Wells Fargo. Did they manufacture knives to be used by their employees, or might it be a presentation knife or something?
Reminds me of a proper sized Fairbarin-Sykes dagger.
I Knew you would like that one. It is like a Texas-Sized Fairborn Sikes or Renaissance dagger.
Biggest advantage is moving the blade back and forth in the body cutting internal organs, blood vessels on both sides of the blade!
21:24 😂 That was on purpose wasn't it Matt.
Common pistols were still single shot at that time which limited their usefulness. Town Sheriffs could dictate arms that could be carried, but generally speaking there weren’t standardized laws limiting arms.
I wonder if WE Fairbairn got some inspiration here for the FS dagger?
I always thought of a Arkansas toothpick as a bowie knife with very narrow blade compared to most. And a clipped point with a sharpened false edge.
The thing is the Arkansas toothpick is a slang term that spread through about 70 years of American venacular speccifically infrintier amd rural areas and persisted for another 70 after that. Originally it was probably the double sided dirk style knife but through the years it kind of just morphed into a big knife specifically used to fight people.
You have to remember most of the people had just heard the term but never actually saw one, so as the term spread they would just use it how they understood it, a big scary knife carried by ne'er do wells.
Then later knife manufacturers started marketing models of their knifes by the popular term.
My best friend's sister married a man from Arkansas. He is an avid antique 'pick' collector and showed me his collection once. All of his toothpicks were double edged and shaped like the one in the video. Some were shorter and, If I remember correctly, all were a bit narrower. Very pointy. None looked like "Bowie" knifes.
You should take pictures and send them to Matt, which might be historic blades from there.
Hi is there any chance you can do a video about the River Witham sword (not the viking one) and if there are any good sharp replicas out there. Only one I've found is the Hanwei model. Love all the information you put out
Is it tacky asking for prices 🤔
Fair burn Sikes knife is also toothpick ! Cheers From California 😊
Who made that Bowie knife ? That was at the beginning
21:13 The thick backed two edged comment about the knife would make me believe it was a sharpened clip point.
The impression that I get from the sources read out in the video is that "Bowie knife" often described purpose rather than a type of knife. I mean like an "outdoors knife" or "self defense" knife. This is how a Bowie knife (refering to purpose) can also be an Arkensas Toothpick (describing a type) in some of the sources.
"That's not a knife."
*whips out an Arkansas toothpick*
"That's a knife."
That's a toothpick? THIS is a toothpick.
Interesting. Thank you.
Jim Bowie died at the Alamo in 1836, that should put some date on things.
5:26 not to mention that New Orleans was full of Italian immigrants, and they carried knife fighting culture of Southern Europe with them
12:56 iirc a jockteleg is a large pocket knife, similar to the ones carries by sailors
I live in Michigan and I’ve only ever heard people pronounce bowie knife as bow-ie with a hard O. The other pronunciation I’ve only ever heard in youtube videos
"Malice aforethought' is an old legal term for premeditation. So the Arkansas law mentioning it (23:10ish) is saying that if one used a Bowie knife or like weapon one was to be assumed to be guilty of premeditated murder as if one had planned to kill. This often times meant that the user of said weapon could face the death penalty just as if they had planned the homicide weeks in advance and stalked the victim with the intent to kill. It wouldn't have made a claim of self-defense impossible, esp. if the victim also had a similar weapon but it would made such defenses extremely hard to prove. At least if I remember my law school training correctly (it has been a few years ;-)
Matt: Windlass or Cold Steel? Which is better on the whole?
Windlass make a lot of Cold Steel's products.. So it's possible the quality is the same, but I have not actually looked at the Cold Steel one closely.
As an Arkanasan, i approve this video
You mention that even though fire arms were prevalent, they were restricted in many American and Canadian towns, and therefore knives were still popular....100% still true today, not a good thing, mind you, but ya...even though knife fights seem to be something from 200+ years ago, it's the most popular weapon in my city...
I believe (obligatory not a lawyer) than in Pennsylvania, carrying a double edged blade is illegal because it has no utilitarian use- it's a weapon and useless for anything else. Single edged blades are legal to carry if appropriate. Carrying a large knife while working on a farm or camping won't be a problem, but that same knife in a city at night would be. Common sense actually seems to work on this. I'd like to hear more clear legal opinions on it in my state.
I mention it because he mentions Italy had different laws for single and double edged knives and I wonder how common that is.
Wow!!!! I knew the Americans have obscenely large Food portions.
This is an obscenely large toothpick.
Lol!! I grew up in Texas and went to James Bowie Elementary school in Abilene. Yes, we pronounce the name "Boowie" but I don't know of any true Texan who would tell anyone from across the pond, how they should "correctly" pronounce the name. Pronounce it however you choose. Everyone knows what you mean and there's no need to be pedantic.
I generally love your presentation, but even if it's not clear which pronunciation of Bowie is correct, I do wish you would just pick one and stick with it.
you'll have to excuse my bad memory especially for precise dates etc, now the history of the Bowie knife is still good for printed articles even now one I read a while said "and by 'insert date' Sheffield companies were exporting by the tens of thousands Bowies and 'other large fighting knives' to America these were of various blade lengths and styles and were etched with various manly or even blood curdling phrases" don't forget that there are variations in blade shapes acceptable as historic Bowies including spear point not double edged
I'm surprised even though you had a Confederate image in your video thumbnail, there was no mention of multiple existing photographs Confederate soldiers displaying the Arkansas toothpick in the American Civil War. Many of them brandishing them unsheathed. Originals are highly desirable in the collecting community.
As a kentuckian, I would be remiss not to point out one of the most famous users of the bowie knife, Cassius M Clay, who served in multiple wars, and contributed greatly to the civil rights movement.
In the part of Texas where I live we say Bowie the Scottish way
If you want to get the real deal bowie, get a CSA D guard bowie. Thats what every American thinks of when someone says bowie knife.
Alabama's governor, Kay Ivy signed HB 272 for constitutional carry and the repeal of knife bans making it legal to carry concealed knifes and firearms without a permit. The law went into effect on January 1, 2023.
It is worth noting that it's often (if not usually) illegal to carry double edged blades in the U.S.. It makes me somewhat wonder when those laws started going on the books.
It is in a few states, but most states you can carry double edge blades just fine. A lot of states have been getting rid of old knife restrictions in the last 10 years.
The Arkansas Toothpick is, essentially, a short sword.
This is the only way to truly study history… actual writing from people who were there
In the early to mid 1800s when these were common the pistols a man might carry were single-shot. A backup weapon would have been considered critical in a context where group violence might be looked for.
In a serious encounter one would discharge the rifle, then the pistol, then go to blade work.
I believe you have it right here. A lone man on the frontier could be beset with many enemies and have only single shot firearms and a blade to defend his life. Colonel Colt changed the dynamic a bit.
I think I know what's going on with the 1837 Alabama Law. It sounds like knife fighting had become a problem in Alabama. Normally if two people were knife fighting; neither intended to kill the other; and they were just striking to harm but not kill; then if one person later died of their wounds, a good lawyer could convince a jury that the crime was manslaughter and not murder. The defendant lacked the proper mens rea for (mental state) for murder. The defendant would then be liable for a reduced sentence and no death penalty. It sounds like the Alabama Legislature wanted to make using a large fighting knife, in and of itself, sufficient evidence that the defendant acted with malice aforethought (the intent to kill). As a matter of law, the choice of weapon now satisfied the mens rea for murder. Now the defendant can't get the crime reduced to manslaughter and is liable for a longer sentence, up to and including the death penalty.
Alabama Meat Axe would make a great band name.
Love your videos. Random question- are you a reader? You certainly strike me as one
Do you think that Spain influenced American knives and fighting styles ? If so, how great of an influence did Spain's 900 years of combat with Persians have on their weapons and fencing?
Is 'Bowie' a trademark or just a design style?
The weapon is named after James Bowie, the Texan revolutionary who commissioned it in Washington, AR, before entering Texas.
I have a blade that was sold as an Arkansas Toothpick, but I hilted it as a 14th century ballock dagger. My son has a deep puckered scar on his belly from that blade. (It's his navel. I used the dagger to cut his umbilical when he was born.)
It seems lizard people do exist.
Your Bowie knife is perhaps the right shape and configuration, but I believe that it is, over-all, too small. Legend says that James Bowie specified that the knife he was commissioning should be, (among other things), big and heavy enough to be used for chopping. I think, therefore, that a Bowie knife should be generally more massive.
He burned his hat? 😂 Daaam he must really hate wolfes.. You haved said a lot about the fairban sykes.. I am curious why its not so long like this Arkansas toothpick dagger. Any theory?.. And i really wanna see the test.. I write in past for me feels the windlass produkts sometimes heavier than the really usable items😮
Re: "Bow-ee" vs. "Boo-wee": Simple fact is that many European names came to be pronounced differently (i.e. wrong) in early America. Happened a lot with names of French or Spanish origin. So, yeah, the "Texas pronunciation" is wrong, but...well...it is Texas, after all. They get a lot of things wrong there.