lightly smoked tanned deerskin; porcupine quills dyed red-orange, black, and light yellow; red ochre; small metal cones; dyed deer hair.

Made of two triangular pieces of hide with a back piece projecting above the pocket with slits on either side for a strap. The pieces are sewn together along the sides with an unknown fibre. There is thong wrapped in red and yellow, then black and yellow quills, sewn along the side seams with its ends hanging down and finished with metal cones. Four sets of paired cones (with the hair inside mostly missing) are sewn to each side.

Two bands of zig-zag band quillwork are on the inner edges of top half, and one line down centre of bottom half. Two wavy lines of black single quill stitch are inside those bands and three small spiral motifs run down centre of top half.

Ruth Phillips notes that spiral motifs and wavy lines suggest underwater powers (spirals can represent the whirlpools associated with underwater beings).

Based on comparisons with similar knife sheaths.

Purchased by Louis C. G. Clarke for the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology from the Widdicombe House Collection. It is possible that this came to Widdicombe House Collection from the 1806 sale of the Leverian Museum collection but there is no documentation.

Unknown Anishinaabe/Hodenosaunee/Haudenosaunee artist, sheath, knife. Currently in the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 1922.977. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip May 2009; GRASAC item id 26351.

This record was created as part of a GRASAC research trip to Cambridge University's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, May 4-9 2009.

Participants: Trudy Nicks, Laura Peers, Alison Brown, Sherry Farrell-Racette, Rachel Hand, Ruth Phillips, Stacey Loyer, and Amber Berson.