Northern Europe, Lapland, encompassing Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, Sami (Saami) people, ca. early 20th century CE. This is a reindeer (caribou) bone letter opener or knife that is incised with figures pulled in single person sleds by a caribou. The shallow lines are darkened with black to highlight the fine etching. Reindeer husbandry and semi-domestication is unique to the nomadic peoples of the arctic areas of Europe and Asia, in fact, this is the only deer species that has been successfully domesticated on such a large scale. While caribou were an invaluable resource for the Indigenous North American hunters, they did not use caribou for transportation or as draft animals until domesticated herds were introduced to Alaska in the 1900s. Size: 9.5" L x 1" W (24.1 cm x 2.5 cm)

Provenance: private Brevard, North Carolina, USA collection

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#170993

Chip to cutting edge and natural bone pitting near handle end, otherwise intact and very good.