Knife

Description

Despite its crude appearance, this tool would have been used for cutting and cleaning seal and whale meat. This has an iron cutting blade set into a wooden handle bound in animal sinew. Iron wasn’t known until the arrival of Europeans who traded it.

Accession Loan No.

E1234

Collection Class

Tools for farm and craft

Common Name

knife

Simple Name

knife

Full Name

knife

Dimensions

whole length 145 mm; whole diameter 47 mm

Cultural Group

possibly Inuit

Production Year High

1778

Production County

Western Arctic

Production Country

Canada

Production Area Region

North America

Production Continent

North America

Family Group



Material

wood; iron; sinew

Function Name

tool

Function Detail

Captain Cook headed north in 1778 after leaving Hawaii and came to the American Northwest and the Arctic. Iron wasn’t known until the arrival of Europeans who traded it. It is difficult to know the exact origin or function of this tool.

Collection Area Region

N

Collection Continent

America