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knife sheath
knife sheath
knife sheath
A knife sheath made of leather and decorated with quillwork, beadwork and two animal hair tassles. From the Great Lakes region, possibly Mohawk. Purchased by the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1897 from collector and antiquities dealer George Fabian Lawrence.
RP says it is from the Great Lakes region, possibly Mohawk. LP says it could be from somewhere south of the Great Lakes, down to Virginia.
Pitt Rivers Object catalogue and observations made by the GRASAC research team.
Read More About This Relative
hide, smoked (may be blackened); seed beads, white size 8; wooden substrate (likely bark); tin plate cones; porcupine quills, black, red, and white; deer hair, dyed red
Quills are wrapped around a wood substrate, and motifs are woven in a plain weave. White beads are attached in an edging stitch on the sheath's outside, along with deer hair tassles.
The top of the sheath looks like it may have once had ties attached, which have since broken off.
Five pairs of hourglass motifs, are placed upon alternating red and black design fields.
CW has suggested that this item may be an awl case, rather than a knife or dagger sheath.
RP says it was likely made in the 18th century, possibly earlier.
Provenance
This knife sheath was purchased by the Pitt Rivers Museum from George Fabian Lawrence in 1897.
About This GRASAC Record
This record was created as part of a Great Lakes Research Alliance for the Study of Aboriginal Arts and Cultures (GRASAC) research trip to the Pitt Rivers Museum and British Museum, December 8-22 2007, funded by a grant from the International Opportunities fund of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
researchers present: Heidi Bohaker (HB), Al Corbiere (AC), Stacey Loyer (SL), Janis Monture (JM), Laura Peers (LP), Ruth Phillips (RP), Anne De Stecher (AS), Cory Willmott (CW).