Native American fighting axe (8)
I believe the answer is:
tomahawk
'native american fighting axe' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for tomahawk that I've seen before include "killer on reservation?" , "War hatchet once wielded by native Americans" , "Brave's hatchet" , "Amerindian hatchet" , "Hatchet used by North American Indians" .)