Snow knife

This one-piece knife carved from caribou bone, with its flat blade slightly curved and rounded at the tip, was used to cut and adjust the large blocks of snow used to build the igloo, to shave the rough edges of the walls and to cut the opening and ventilation hole.

During seal hunting, it was also used to remove the layer of snow covering the breathing hole. It’s a male tool, and every man owned one.

Our knife is unique in that the handle is carved from a seal’s head. The whole is engraved with a decoration representing a succession of “V” lines formed by small circles.

For similar but undecorated models see :

– Ethnographic Collection, Department of Anthropology, Université de Montréal, Inv 5.37

– Sotheby’s Paris April 13, 2022. Another look, Edric van Vredenburgh Collection, Part I. Lot 136

Price: €3,500