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BEAVER TAIL KNIFE
The Blackfeet have an interesting legend about a Black Bear cult, whose membership was highly respected. In order to belong, a brave had to endure a torturous “transfer ceremony” involving the knife. After intensive sweat lodge sittings, an inductee would be thrust into a thorn thicket and repeatedly slapped with the flat side of the blade. In a final act of courage, he would have to catch the knife as it was violently hurled at him. The triumphant contender was then awarded the knife and bestowed membership.
This cult was awesomely feared, and some accounts say that enemies would collapse and flee upon sight of the knife. The Beaver Tail Knife, so called because of its shape, is fashioned in the likeness of that legendary knife.
Made by Native and Non-Native American Artists
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