Northern Europe, Lapland, encompassing Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, Sami (Saami) people, ca. early 20th century CE. This is a fine reindeer (caribou) bone letter opener or knife that is incised with figures pulled in sleds by reindeer. The shallow lines are darkened with black to highlight the fine etching. Reindeer husbandry and the semi-domestication of these animals 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. Their dependence on these herds is evident by the material and subject matter used for this knife. 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.