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

A substantial hide scraper fashioned from a curved section of elk antler, with an elongated grip and a sharply descending working end. A broad metal blade projects beneath a hide wrapping secured with lacing; additional twisted thongs encircle the bend of the handle. The antler has a warm cream-to-brown surface, with longitudinal checking, localized darkening, and small incised marks. Its sweeping profile and compact blade give the tool a strong sculptural character.

The form makes effective use of the antler’s natural curvature, positioning the working edge below the hand and allowing pressure to be applied during the preparation of hides. Comparable Plains tools combined antler handles with metal blades and hide bindings. A Cheyenne scraper in the National Museum of the American Indian, probably collected between 1909 and 1913, preserves this same combination of materials.

Hide preparation was an essential and demanding part of Plains women’s work, supplying the materials from which clothing, footwear, coverings, and numerous household objects were made. 

The example offered here provides a direct connection to the skilled labor underlying the more elaborately decorated objects of Plains life. The substantial grip, fitted blade, and carefully secured bindings reveal a tool shaped around the requirements of repeated use.