[NATIVE AMERICAN] Elk Antler Hide Scraper with Lashed Metal Blade

An Elk Antler Hide Scraper with Lashed Metal Blade.

A substantial hide scraper fashioned from elk antler, its long, gently curved handle turning sharply at the working end to support a short, broad metal blade. Several turns of pale binding secure the blade against the antler, leaving its rounded cutting end exposed. The handle has a smooth, golden-brown surface with darker mottling, scratches, and areas of wear; the cut butt reveals the porous interior of the antler. Faint handwritten annotations survive near the bend.

The tool’s construction makes effective use of the antler’s natural form. Its long section provides a firm grip, while the angled end presents the scraping edge to the hide. The broad handle and compact blade give the object a distinctive profile, with the binding remaining plainly visible as part of its practical assembly.

Antler scrapers fitted with metal blades are well documented among Plains peoples. The National Museum of the American Indian preserves a closely related combination of elk antler, iron blade, hide, and cordage collected in 1901 from Bear Woman, a Northern Cheyenne woman, by George Bird Grinnell. Other examples in the museum’s collections record the use of comparable tools among Dakota and Crow communities.

Such implements belonged to the skilled work of preparing hides for clothing and other necessities. The example offered here brings that essential work into focus: a durable, carefully shaped implement belonging to the processes that preceded the cutting, sewing, and ornamentation of finished hide objects.