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Originally Posted by Harry Marinakis
I am really disappointed that I was unable to find a Tlingit who was willing to even respond to my inquiries about making a dagger. I guess the Tlingit dagger really is a "lost" art.
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I'm not yet convinced that it is a lost art Harry, though that may be the case. A dagger in the form of the one you have had made is not just any old utility knife to a Tlingit. It is a deeply spiritual ritual object and while daggers like these often fall into the custodianship of a single person they are usually considered to be tribal regalia of a sort. This may be the reason you could not find a Tlingit willing to make one for you.
What you have is truly a fine work of art, even if not an ethnographic one. One thing i would suggest is that as the commissioner of this piece you might want to take on the responsibility to ensure (to the best of your ability) that it is always properly represented. It would be a shame to see this dagger being passed off as a true Tlingit artifact 2 or 3 generations down the line and i think there is a good chance it could pass as such if it losses its connection to its true origin.