Mocotaugan: The Story and Art of the Crooked Knife
Abbe Museum

The Mocotaugan, or crooked knife, was an essential tool for Native people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Early European explorers described the knife as “peculiar” because of the angle of the blade to the wooden handle. Originally made using flint instead of steel, the Mocotaugan had a wide range of uses, including building canoes and wigwams, cutting strips to use in basket weaving, and making bows and arrows.

The Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine is currently presenting an exhibition that looks at the crooked knife as both a useful tool and an art form in itself. Examples of beautifully carved crooked knives and objects crafted with this traditional tool—such as a 19th-century birchbark canoe, snowshoes, lacrosse sticks, ash splint baskets and wooden vessels—provide visitors with insight into the history and material culture of the Eastern Woodlands people.

While the use of the crooked knife in the Northeast originated with Native people, its development represents one of the most long-lived examples of cultural exchange between Natives and Europeans. Even as Europeans adapted the crooked knife for their own use, Native carvers incorporated European designs into their knife handles. Carvers embellished handles with intricate designs, demonstrating their skill and giving each piece a distinct personality. Native artists selected subjects familiar to their culture and environment to interpret. Often the carvings were personal, marking the date of an important event, reproducing a tribal symbol or memorializing a loved one.

Abenaki carver Aaron York and Mi’kmaq carver David Sanipass crafted several of the contemporary pieces in the exhibit. Also on display are contemporary Abenaki and Maliseet baskets made using the crooked knife. These works demonstrate a renaissance of Northeastern Woodlands material culture and show each artist’s commitment to continuing the art form.

A majority of the objects exhibited are from the Jalbert Collection, considered the finest holding of crooked knives in America. The exhibition is based on a book of the same title by Massachusetts residents Ned Jalbert, who has assembled the collection, and Russell Jalbert, his father. Ned Jalbert has spent many years collecting and studying crooked knives and other Northeastern Woodlands artifacts.

The Abbe Museum furthers the understanding and appreciation of Maine Native cultures, history and archaeology. The museum’s exhibitions and programs focus on the Native traditions of Maine and explore the broader Native experience, past and present.

Abbe Museum
Bar Harbor, ME. 207/288-3519