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Knife

Date1880-1910
DimensionsOverall: 1 1/2 × 1/4 × 12 3/4 in. (3.8 × 0.6 × 32.4 cm)
Object numberT0598
Credit LineGift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextYoung girls animate stories and myths with a storyknife, a gracefully balanced tool used for sketching. They illustrate their tales by carving lines and figures in the sand or mud. Characters are drawn and erased as the story proceeds. It is a favorite activity among girls, and is a medium for passing down traditions and moral principles from generation to generation. Kitchen knives are used for storytelling today.

ProvenanceLarry Frank, Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico
BibliographyVincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.441.

Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 492.
On View
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5798 STATE HIGHWAY 80
COOPERSTOWN NY, 13326
607-547-1400

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