A Phrase Rooted in Real Peace and Ritual
When two people make peace after a fight, we often say they’ve decided to “bury the hatchet.” It’s such a common phrase that it might sound purely figurative — but this expression has very real historical roots.
Unlike many idioms that evolved from literature or technology, bury the hatchet comes from a Native American tradition of reconciliation — one that dates back centuries before it entered English.
🪓 The Real Ritual Behind the Phrase
The origin of bury the hatchet lies with several Indigenous tribes of North America, including the Iroquois, Mohawk, and Algonquin peoples.
When rival groups agreed to peace, they would hold formal ceremonies symbolizing the end of conflict.
As part of that ritual, the participants literally buried their weapons — tomahawks, hatchets, or war clubs — in the ground.
This act wasn’t symbolic in a casual sense; it was a public, spiritual commitment to peace. Burying the hatchet meant the fighting was over and that hostility was put to rest — physically and culturally.
European settlers and chroniclers who witnessed these rituals in the 1600s wrote about them in journals and diplomatic reports, often using the phrase “bury the hatchet” to describe the peace process.
📜 From Ceremony to Idiom
By the 1700s, the phrase had crossed into English metaphorically. It began appearing in colonial documents, letters, and literature.
- In 1680, one record from Virginia noted that a treaty between colonists and Native American leaders was sealed when they “buried the hatchet.”
- Over time, the phrase took on a broader, figurative meaning — to make peace after any quarrel, whether personal, political, or international.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, it had become firmly embedded in English, detached from its original ritual but carrying its core message of reconciliation.
🧠 The Cultural Significance
While the modern idiom is used casually, it’s worth remembering that its roots come from real Indigenous peacekeeping traditions.
The act of burying a weapon wasn’t just symbolic; it carried moral, spiritual, and communal weight. The hatchet, a tool that could be used for war or survival, represented both destruction and creation. To bury it was to acknowledge the power of restraint — a principle that modern society still struggles with.
Understanding this background turns a simple idiom into a window into Indigenous diplomacy — an early example of restorative practice long before that term existed.
🔄 Modern Meaning and Examples
Today, “bury the hatchet” means to make peace or reconcile after conflict.
Examples:
- “After years of rivalry, the two companies finally buried the hatchet.”
- “I decided to bury the hatchet with my old friend and call him.”
- “The politicians promised to bury the hatchet and work together.”
It’s used in both serious and lighthearted contexts, from world affairs to family disagreements.
🌍 Similar Idioms Around the World
Many cultures use weapon-related metaphors to describe making peace — proof of how universal the desire for reconciliation is:
- Chinese: 言归于好 (yán guī yú hǎo) — “return to good terms.”
- Spanish: hacer las paces — “to make peace.”
- German: die Friedenspfeife rauchen — “to smoke the peace pipe,” also referencing Indigenous North American imagery adopted into European culture.
English just happens to keep its connection to the literal act of laying down arms.
⚖️ Language, Respect, and Misuse
Because the idiom originated in Native American practice, it’s important to approach it with cultural awareness.
While “bury the hatchet” is perfectly fine to use in general English, acknowledging its roots avoids the trap of erasing Indigenous influence from language. The phrase isn’t just a quaint saying — it’s evidence of how cross-cultural contact shaped English idioms in ways we often overlook.
In fact, many linguists now advocate for reconnecting idioms to their cultural histories, so they’re understood as living reflections of real human practices, not detached clichés.
❓ FAQs
Q: Is “bury the hatchet” considered offensive?
A: No, not inherently. It’s widely used and accepted, but being aware of its Native American origin helps preserve respect for the tradition it came from.
Q: Which tribes practiced this custom?
A: Primarily Eastern Woodland tribes such as the Iroquois and Algonquin peoples, though similar rituals appeared across North America.
Q: Was the hatchet always literal?
A: Yes — early accounts describe the physical burial of weapons as part of peace ceremonies.
Q: How did it become part of English?
A: European colonists and diplomats adopted the phrase after observing Native ceremonies in the 1600s. It later became a metaphor in British and American English.
📌 Final Thought
When you tell someone it’s time to “bury the hatchet,” you’re echoing an ancient act of peace — one where real weapons were laid to rest as a promise to stop fighting.
What began as a sacred gesture of reconciliation among Native American tribes has survived for centuries as a phrase that reminds us of something deeper:
That true peace isn’t just the absence of conflict — it’s the deliberate act of laying down what divides us.
