The
crooked knife sometimes referred to as a "curved knife", "carving knife," or "mocotaugan," from the
Cree Language term "môhkotâkan," is an common Eastern Woodlands Native American woodworking
knife. The
crooked in "crooked knife" refers to the unusual shape of the knife, namely a blade that is set at an
oblique angle to the handle. The blade can be straight or curved, long or short. Many blades were fashioned from re-worked file blades, reused
hardened steel. and other sources. The Hudson Bay Company started to import pre-made steel Crooked Knife blades from Sheffield England, shipped without handles, specifically for trade with Native Americans. The shape of the blade, whether curved or straight, is a function of the carving purpose of the user: straight for
whittling wood, making for baskets and incising, curved for hollowing out bowls and masks and ladles, as well as myriad other usages.
Because the unique shape of the knife, the wooden handle extends well beyond the hand that is gripping it. This exposed pommel became a prime place for Native American artists to express themselves and wonderful examples of finely and beautifully carved Crooked knives can be found in collections across the world.
The 1971 documentary César et son canot d'écorce ( César's Bark Canoe) illustrates the use of a crooked knife in the construction of a birch-bark canoe.
Description and Usage
John McPhee states, "The blade was bent near its outer end (enabling it to move in grooves and hollows where the straight part could not). The grip, fashioned for convenience of a hand closing over it, was bulbous. The blade had no hinge and protruded rigidly but not straight out. It formed a shallow V with the grip."
Tappan Adney and Chapelle state, "The knife, held with the cutting edge toward the user, was grasped fingers-up with the thumb of the holding hand laid along the part of the handle projecting away from the user. This steadied the knife in cutting. Unlike a jackknife, the crooked knife was not used to whittling but to cut toward the user, and was, in effect, a one-hand drawknife."
According to Henri Vaillancourt, "The original crooked knife was made out of a beaver's tooth."[ This has been supported from archeological digs as well as multiple historical sources.
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Further reading/external links
