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Hand-Made Alaskan Knife with Bone Handle

Dancing Man Knives & Ulus

Knife Name: Large Skinning Knife

Handle Material: Mermaid Bone™

Blade Material: Cross-cut Saw Steel

Blade Length: 6 inches

Overall Length: 10 3/4 inches

Sheaths to Fit: Large Mexican, Large Skinning Alaskan

Our large skinning knife models the traditional "Green River" shape of blade. The upswept tip makes skinning go smoother and faster.

You will find this knife indispensable in the field and kitchen for skinning and butchering game, as a chopping or utility knife in the kitchen, or as a unique and beautiful addition to your collection.

About the Dancing Man knives:

This unique knife is completely hand-made in Homer, Alaska by Maynard Linder of Dancing Man Knives & Ulus. The handle is made from a piece of “Mermaid Bone”™, as we like to call the bones of the extinct Steller’s Sea Cow. Scroll down for the whole story…The blade is recycled from a two-man crosscut saw blade. These crosscut saw blades are widely appreciated for their thick, stiff, high quality steel (the original blade temper is maintained throughout the crafting process). The texture on the blade testifies to the use and mis-use of this blade during its life as a saw--these beautiful markings are old rust pits. This carbon steel blade comes razor sharp, and will hold its edge well. When regular use eventually begins to dull the edge, any sharpening stone or diamond steel will easily restore the edge. The blade is imbedded into the handle, secured with 3/32" brass rivets.

Mermaid Bone™

Through the millenia, seafarers have told tales of mermaids. These mythical creatures--considered to be alluring sirens or ocean guardians--appear in the cultures of coastal peoples around the world. Modern thought links these mermaid traditions to sightings of sirenians, those chubby mammals of the sea: dugongs, manatees and the extinct Steller's sea cow.

This material, colored by age and mineralization, is a piece of rib bone from a Steller's sea cow. Alaskan Eskimos on St. Lawrence Island recover the ancient skeletons of sea cows eaten by their ancestors hundreds of years ago. We then craft this beautiful dense bone for your enjoyment.

The Steller's sea cow was introduced to Russian hunters in 1741 when Vitus Bering, ship's naturalist Georg Steller, and others were shipwrecked in the Bering Sea. By 1768, Russian fur hunters had eaten these slow-moving, docile animals into extinction.

Like the other sirenians, the Steller's sea cow lived in shallow coastal waters, subsisting on a vegetable diet of algae and kelp; however, its cold habitat, large size of up to 28 feet long, hooked flippers, and absence of teeth were unique adaptations.

Just as the stories and history of this inspirational material amplify its inherent beauty, so will your use and enjoyment of this reincarnated art piece.

Please visit my store stores.ebay.com/localshowcase for sheath options, or to add a diamond steel sharpener to your purchase. Suggested sheath styles are noted at the top of the page; I always check that the knife fits before shipping.

Refer to the 1” grid marks in the photo for size reference. Note that only one item is being auctioned--this is a composite photo.

Be sure to check out our other auctions—we make many styles of ulus and knives, bone and antler jewelry, art, and also offer handsaw parts.

I am happy to combine shipping charges on multiple items.