Indian??? axe

[Conogre]

A VERY interesting item, and I wouldn't be too hasy in assigning it to a "tool" status, with hammer polls having been very common trade axes often used as tomohawks, for example, in North america with the native American tribes.
The curled blade edges are indeed unique and seem out of place with the rough forging apparent on the rest of the axehead, a lot of work that's strictly for effect on what would otherwise be considered a utilitarian piece, also the reason I suspect that it might have military/weapons origins.
The way the haft is wrapped in what appears to be iron banding is only commonly seen in African axes, but that doesn't mean it wasn't used occasionally elsewhere while the tacks around the top and bottom of the banding is a feature seen in many native American, African and even Middle Eastern hafted weapons, although rarely on tools.
This is going to sound way off the beaten path, but I suspect that it might be a European trade axe that ended up in either North or South American Indian hands, with my instincts leaning toward the latter, possibly Portuguese or Spanish colonial.
Of course, there's always the possibility that it's a Rennaisance Fair creation from an imaginative smith, but I feel that is highly unlikely.
As a "chopper" of course, you know that I like it!**grin**
Mike