Fighting Knife, late 1800s-early 1900s. After Europeans introduced firearms, the native dagger gradually transformed from a weapon into a status symbol worn in a sheath that hung around the neck. That is probably the case with these daggers which have elaborately carved hilts. One depicts a grotesque head surmounted by a fish, perhaps a salmon, and the other shows a bear's head over a supine human.

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Size: 3998px × 6205px
Photo credit: © Heritage Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 19th, abalone, armor, arms, art, century, cleveland, coast, cord, heritage, horn, inlaid, leather, museum, northwest, shell, steel., tlingit, unknown