Despite its crude appearance, this tool would have been used for cutting and cleaning seal and whale meat. This has an iron cutting blade set into a wooden handle bound in animal sinew. Iron wasn’t known until the arrival of Europeans who traded it.

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Object Summary

Museum Number	E1234
Simple Name	knife
Full Name	knife
Common Name	knife
Production country	Canada
Material	wood; iron; sinew
Collection class	Tools for farm and craft
Collection continent	America
Collection area/region	N
Production county	Western Arctic
Production continent	North America
Production year high	1778
Cultural group	possibly Inuit
Function name	tool
Function detail	Captain Cook headed north in 1778 after leaving Hawaii and came to the American Northwest and the Arctic. Iron wasn’t known until the arrival of Europeans who traded it. It is difficult to know the exact origin or function of this tool.