"Growing Goodness": An Alaska Native Collection at Oberlin CollegeMain MenuMission Statement and Project ContributorsObject GalleryClick on the object title for more informationLife HistoryMapYup'ik Materials and SubsistenceIntroduction page for the Raw Materials and Subsistence chapterVirtual 3D Exhibit
Story Knife
12020-01-23T16:31:03+00:00Alaina Helm707f7d845b33dec30c77d3f91278c0fd43eb2f4c112Here’s what Dr. Rosemary Ahtuangaruak has to say!plain2020-01-23T16:35:14+00:00Alaina Helm707f7d845b33dec30c77d3f91278c0fd43eb2f4c
Calitmiut ("Chalitmut"), Alaska (Yup’ik), c. unknown Collector: E. W. Nelson Museum ID number: NEL.C1.r.0133
Story knives were typically made of carved and polished walrus tusk and were used by young girls to draw and tell stories in the snow. Knife stories were typically accompanied by songs, and sometimes they were used for games in which spectators tried to guess the artist’s subject. Girls still play these games today with metal butter knives replacing the traditional wood, bone, or ivory ones. A girl’s father or grandfather typically made her knife, and they were given as gifts during Elriq, the Great Feast of the Dead. Once a girl had experienced her first menstrual period, she would give away her story knife along with her dolls to younger girls in the community. This knife shows skilled craftsmanship as it is made from the edge of the inner part of a walrus tusk – a difficult part to carve.