Kicking Bear Drop Point Hunter with Scrimshawed Alternative Ivory

Product Description for Kicking Bear Drop Point Hunter with Scrimshawed Alternative Ivory

Maker: Randy Lee (click to see more by this maker)
Price: $1,950.00
Item num: 110083
** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind **
Blade length: 5.05 in.
Cutting edge length: 4.80 in.
Total length: 9.70 in.
Blade height (at heel): 1.17 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.20 in.
Blade thickness (at midpoint): 0.19 in.
Blade thickness (near tip): 0.09 in.
Item weight: 95.00 oz.
Shipment weight: 8.4 oz.
Blade: Mirror polished 440C stainless steel
Bolster: Polished stainless steel
Handle: Alternative ivory with "Kicking Bear" scrimshaw by Linda Karst
Sheath: Pouch style leather sheath
Description: Randy Lee's fascination with knives began as a young man, when he made his first knife in a high school "metal" class. Since then, knifemaking has become a family project for him. Each of his four sons have taken their turn helping in the shop, while his wife, Sonja, makes the sheaths for the knives. This "Kicking Bear" Drop Point Hunter is Randy's work at its best.
The drop point blade is hand ground and polished 440C stainless steel. 440C is tough, chip resistant, and has a high corrosion resistance. The blade is hollow ground for an easy to maintain edge. The maker's mark is featured on the left side of the blade. The spine is fileworked providing an excellent thumb rest.
Handle scales are alternative ivory set on a distal tapered full tang, providing perfect balance. The scales were scrimshawed by hand by Linda Karst featuring imagery of Chief Kicking Bear.
Chief Kicking Bear (March 18, 1845 – May 28, 1904) was an Oglala Lakota who became a band chief of the Miniconjou Lakota Sioux. He fought in several battles with his brother, Flying Hawk, and first cousin, Crazy Horse, during the War for the Black Hills, including the Battle of the Greasy Grass. Kicking Bear was one of the five warrior cousins who sacrificed blood and flesh for Crazy Horse at the Last Sun Dance of 1877. The ceremony was held to honor Crazy Horse one year after the victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn (known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass to the Sioux), and to offer prayers for him in the trying times ahead. Kicking Bear was also a holy man active in the Ghost Dance religious movement of 1890. Following the murder of Sitting Bull, Kicking Bear and Short Bull were imprisoned at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He reportedly came to regret becoming involved with the movement after seeing the problems with the government it caused the tribes that participated and later said "Who would have thought that dancing could make such trouble?" In March 1896, Kicking Bear traveled to Washington, D.C. as one of three Sioux delegates taking grievances to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He died on May 28, 1904. His remains are buried somewhere in the vicinity of Manderson-White Horse Creek.
Linda Karst is an extremely accomplished scrimshander. In 1976, as a high school art student in Ohio, Linda was introduced to scrimshaw when hired by a local business. The job lasted long enough to teach the basic techniques and launch her long-lasting career. Linda pursued fine art training at the University of Toledo and the Toledo Museum of Art. Her focus on anatomy, figure drawing, and design are reflected in her work today. Linda's scrimshaw is created in the traditional method without a machine. A hand-held carbide steel-tipped scribe is used to combine techniques including line, stipple and crosshatching to define her subject matter. The black lines are created by scratching into the surface then filling that void with black India ink; excess ink is cleaned from the surface. The color areas are incised one at a time, dark to light. Pigments rubbed into the lines are Winsor & Newton artists' water colors chosen for their permanence and quality of pigments. Renaissance wax is applied to help protect the design. Linda prefers ivory as her canvas, a material that can possess warmth and personality and often suggests a particular subject or composition. Her realistic style has depth and a sculptural quality that bring her subjects to life.
The contoured scales feel great in hand. Stainless steel bolsters are beautifully dovetailed to the scrimshawed handle scales.
To keep the knife close at hand, a tooled pouch style leather sheath by Sonja Lee is included. Additionally, a glass display case with mirrored back is included to display the knife. The plaque at the base of the display says:
"Maker: Randy Lee, St Johns, Az ~ Scrimshaw by Linda Kurst.
"Kicking Bear" - Sioux Apostle of
The Ghost Dance Religion.
Handle: "Alternative" Ivory ~ Blade: 440C"
Excellent work throughout!


Availability: In stock. Usually ships in 1-2 business days