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Northern plains brass tacked knife sheath, 1870
This artwork is part of a private collection and is not available for purchase. It serves as an educational benchmark for historical accuracy. To see items currently available for acquisition, please visit our Available Works section
Maker: Lukáš Navrátil
Materials: Commercial harness leather, square shank brass tacks.
Made in: 2010
Description: Sheaths decorated with brass tacks are typical of Northern Plains tribes such as the Blackfeet, Atsina, Gros Ventre, and to some extent, the Cree. They appear in period photographs only after 1870, and it seems they do not date much earlier than that. Virtually all brass tacks appearing before 1880 feature a brass shank that is square and tapers down to a point. Today, such tacks are not commonly manufactured, and it is difficult to source any reproductions.