Wabanaki/Algonquin Carving
WABANAKI CARVED CROOKED KNIFE C. 1880 This Penobscot (possibly Passamaquoddy) hardwood crooked (or right) knife is beautifully hand carved in a complex design. The ferrule is brass wrapped and tacked and has original patina. The blade is a very old straight razor that I believe to be original to the piece. The photographs speak for themselves and were taken in natural light and with flash. The Penobscot and Passamaquoddy were, and still are, renowned carvers of crooked knives used for cutting brown ash tree strips for basket making, birch bark for canoe building, design carving and skinning small animals. The body of the knife – a single piece of wood - thins at the neck to hold an ornamental top that is densely carved in motifs typical of Algonquin (Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Abenaki) tribes. I purchased this knife in an antique store on coastal road US-1N between Camden and Belfast, Maine some years ago. MEASURES: 8.25 inches long by 1.0 inches wide at widest point SOLD PCK-003-12 |