Model of a snow knife

Walrus ivory model of a snow knife or panna, which is part of a collection of ethnographical material made by Admiral Sir George Back (1796-1878).

The item would have been made for sale to Europeans and Back met Inuit anxious to trade ivory carvings in Hudson Strait on 12 August 1819 and 5 August 1836 (there was a tradition of ivory carving established on Baffin Island). The originals of the three model snow knives in the group were used in different parts of the Arctic - mainly the central area. This shape of this example resembles those used by the Copper Inuit or Inuinnait.

Object Details

ID: AAA2621
Collection: World Cultures
Type: Model
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Unknown
Date made: 1819-1837; 1819-37
Exhibition: The Atlantic: Slavery, Trade, Empire; Trade and Commerce
People: Back, George
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection
Measurements: Overall: 5 x 55 x 10 mm
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