Native American knives range from knapped stone blades thousands of years old to trade-era steel knives in beaded sheaths. This guide covers the main styles, what changed when steel arrived, and how to tell authentic Native-made work from pieces that are only inspired by it, including ours.
By the Buffalo Nation Knives team. Updated November 2026.
What counts as a Native American knife?
In everyday use the phrase covers two different things. The first is a knife made by a Native American artist, which is the only kind that can legally be sold as Native American or Indian-made in the United States. The second is a knife in a Native American style, made by someone else and inspired by historical designs. Both are common, and honest sellers say clearly which one they are offering.
Before steel: stone, bone and copper
For most of human history in North America, blades were made from stone such as chert, flint and obsidian, shaped by knapping and often hafted onto wood or bone handles. Bone and antler were used for awls, scrapers and knives, and in the Great Lakes region people worked native copper into blades and points thousands of years ago.
The trade era: steel arrives
From the 1500s onward, European and later American traders exchanged steel knives, axes and kettles for furs and goods. Plain butcher-style knives were among the most traded items, and from the 1830s factory knives stamped Green River, made by the John Russell cutlery works in Massachusetts, were carried across the West. Native owners often reworked these blades, fitted new handles and made sheaths for them, so many surviving knives combine a trade blade with Native-made handles and leatherwork.
Common styles
Skinning and butcher knives
A single-edged blade with a curved belly for skinning and processing game. This is the shape most people picture as a Native American hunting knife, usually carried in a sheath worn at the belt or around the neck.
Dags
Broad, double-edged dagger blades, sometimes called beavertail dags for their shape. They were traded widely and often set in bone, antler or wood handles.
Crooked knives
A woodworking knife with a bent blade that is pulled toward the user, used for carving bowls, paddles, snowshoe frames and canoe parts, especially among Northeastern and Subarctic peoples.
Tomahawks
The word comes from an Algonquian language of the Virginia coast. Early tomahawks had stone or wooden heads; trade-era tomahawks had iron or steel heads, and the pipe tomahawk, which combined a blade with a tobacco pipe bowl, became an important trade and diplomatic object in the 1700s and 1800s.
Sheaths
Sheaths were often as valued as the knives. Rawhide and tanned leather were decorated with porcupine quillwork and, after glass seed beads became widely available in the 1800s, with beadwork in regional colors and patterns.
How to tell if a knife is authentically Native-made
The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 makes it illegal to offer or display for sale any art or craft product in a way that falsely suggests it was made by a Native American or a particular tribe. Penalties for a first violation by an individual can reach $250,000 in fines and five years in prison. When buying:
- Ask for the maker by name and their tribal affiliation. Sellers of genuine work are proud to tell you.
- Be wary of vague wording such as Indian-style, Native series or tribal used without a maker named.
- Buy from tribal enterprises, Native artists directly, museum shops, or businesses listed in the Indian Arts and Crafts Board Source Directory.
- If something is sold as authentic and you believe it is not, you can file a complaint with the Indian Arts and Crafts Board.
Materials you will see on Native American-style knives
Modern pieces in this style usually combine a steel blade with natural or cast handle materials. Buffalo and cow horn give a dark, glossy grip with visible grain. Bone and antler were common historically and are still used today. Hardwoods such as rosewood and walnut are durable and easy to shape. Resin is a modern material that can imitate stone or be cast in bright patterns, and it does not swell with humidity.
Decoration is where the style shows most clearly: beaded lanyards and sheaths, fringed leather, brass tacks, rawhide or sinew wraps, and feathers. Feathers on modern pieces should come from domestic birds; the feathers of eagles, hawks, owls and most other wild birds are protected by US federal law and cannot be bought or sold.
Questions buyers often ask
Is a Native American-style knife the same as an authentic one?
No. An authentic Native American knife is made by a Native artist, who can tell you their tribal affiliation. A Native American-style knife borrows the look of historical designs but is made by someone else. Both can be well made; the difference is who made it and what the seller is allowed to claim.
Are these knives meant for use or display?
It depends on the piece. Folding and fixed blade knives with full handles and ground edges are working tools. Heavily decorated tomahawks with feathers and beadwork are usually display and collector pieces first, and light camp tools second.
Do I need to check local laws?
Yes. Blade length limits, carry rules and age requirements differ between states and cities. Buyers must be 18 or older, and it is your responsibility to follow the law where you live and carry.
Sources and further reading
- Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, US Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board.
- Source Directory of Native American owned arts and crafts businesses, Indian Arts and Crafts Board.
- Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, US Fish and Wildlife Service.
- National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, for collections of historical knives, sheaths and tomahawks.
Written by the Buffalo Nation Knives team. We sell Native American-style knives and tomahawks and are not affiliated with any tribe.
Where Buffalo Nation Knives fits
Our knives and tomahawks are Native American-style, not Native American-made, and we are not affiliated with any tribe. We take visual cues from the trade-era pieces described above, such as horn handles, beaded lanyards and fringed sheaths, and combine them with hand-forged steel. If you want a working knife or a display piece in that style, we hope you will look at our Native American-style knives and decorative tomahawks; if you want a Native artist’s work, use the directory above.
Choosing a Native American-style knife
| Everyday carry or a gift | A folding knife with a 2.5 to 3.5 inch blade. See folding knives. |
|---|---|
| Hunting and skinning | A fixed blade with a curved belly and a full handle. See fixed blade knives. |
| Display and collecting | A tomahawk with beadwork and feathers. See tomahawks and axes. |
Whatever you choose, check the knife laws where you live and carry, and see our knife care guide to keep it in good shape.