UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, Probably SAULTEAUX (PLAINS OJIBWE)
Knife Sheath, c. 1850-60
hide, trade cloth, glass beads, thread, and quills, 16.5 x 12.5 x 0.25 in (41.9 x 31.8 x 0.6 cm), measurements reflect dimensions with fringe.
unsigned.

Provenance
Al McClelland, Shuswap Trading Co.;
Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection.

The relatively small size of this fine knife sheath didn’t stop its maker from showcasing several techniques and materials. The lazy stitch beadwork throughout the face of the sheath allows for a veritable rainbow of colours, while the sewn-on hide fringe is segmented by twisted quills and weighted with larger cut glass beads. Knife sheaths typically covered not only the blade of a knife, but also most of the handle, decreasing the chance of the knife falling out or getting lost, hence the slightly flared upper section of this sheath.

References: For a similar example see Ralph T. Coe, The Responsive Eye: Ralph T. Coe and the Collecting of American Indian Art (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003), cat. 72, p. 149. For an introduction to Indigenous beading techniques and history, see Joel Monture, The Complete Guide To Traditional Native American Beadwork: A Definitive Study Of Authentic Tools, Materials, Techniques, And Styles, (New York: Wiley, 1993).