2006-06-11 22:51:46 · 12 answers · asked by 42 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
"Bury the hatchet" goes back to Native American traditions, most notably the Iroquois.
Whenever Native Americans would fight, they would use, as everyone around the world did, the weapons which were available to them. In this case, the tomahawk (a form of hatchet) was the weapon the warriors were most usually armed with since they didn't really have swords, and spears and bows weren't very useful in close combat.
When the battle was over and both sides forged a peace agreement with each other, they would prove their commitment to peace by literally digging a hole, throwing in the weapons of war (so, the tomahawks... or hatchets) in, and burying them to show each other they no longer needed their weapons to fight their new friends.
The ceremony quite easily became referred to as "burying the hatchet", since that's what was literally done, and people picked it up to symbolically refer to the gestures they make toward one another after a fight to prove that they, too, are commited to not fighting any more and being friends again.
2006-06-11 23:00:40 · answer #1 · answered by AndiGravity 7 · 6⤊ 1⤋
American Indian's would bury the hatches of there tribes chiefs when a peace agrement was formed between two tribes that where at war.
It prity much means to stop fighting with some one (and often be friends) when you have been fighting for a long time.
It can also mean two people tring to get along when they haven't in the past. (not nesearly fighting but deffently being disagreable with eachother)
2006-06-12 05:56:53 · answer #2 · answered by CrazyCat 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You must mean bury the hatchet. It is symbolic. hatchet,tomahawk,weapon ,and bury,put down,put away,out of sight. It means to make peace ( especially with the idea of putting the cause of the conflict away, ignoring it in the interest of establishing a truce or a longer term alliance)
2006-06-12 06:02:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bury the hatchet is an idiomatic expression which means stop fighting, make peace.
2006-06-15 03:29:38 · answer #4 · answered by David C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
'Bury the hatchet' means to forgive and get on with it. A hatchet is like a small axe (dictionary definition) and to bury it is to move on and leave it buried in the ground. Get on with things.
2006-06-12 05:57:53 · answer #5 · answered by kezza 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's "bury the hatchet". I think it means to stop the fighting, bury the hatchet in the ground so there will be no more fighting.
2006-06-12 05:55:13 · answer #6 · answered by PariahMaterial 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's "bury the hatchet." It means to make peace with someone with whom you've been fighting.
2006-06-12 05:55:00 · answer #7 · answered by rkallaca 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's bury the hatchet, and it means to forgive grievances.
2006-06-12 05:55:19 · answer #8 · answered by zaffaris 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means that you bury your hand-axe in your enemies skull, thus ending a conflict.
2006-06-12 06:00:10 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let it go forget about it past is in the past, focuse on the future
2006-06-12 06:01:03 · answer #10 · answered by kida_w 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋