Alaskan Native Crooked Knives and Assorted Tools

late 19th - early 20th century

lot of 11, includes:

five crooked knives with bone handles and cedar bark wrapping, lengths 6 inches - 10-1/2 inches

an ulu, length 3 inches x width 4 inches

a hide scraper with wood handle, length 5-1/2 inches

a saw with a serrated tin blade, length 11-1/4 inches

three other knives and a scraper, longest length 6 inches

Provenance
From the collection of Father Edward F. Sippel of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, inherited from his mother, Della (Beau) Sippel, daughter of John Louis BeauBeau’s wife died in 1895 shortly after the birth of their son, Johnny. The children, Della and the infant Johnny, were subsequently raised by relatives in Calvary, Wisconsin. During this period, Beau spent approximately thirteen years in Nome, Alaska, where he operated the Beau Mercantile during the gold rush era.In 1933, Della reclaimed her father’s remaining personal effects from his bankrupt estate, preserving a small group of artifacts and photographs related to his ventures in Alaska.