Storyknife (yaaruin),

late 19th century

Yup’ik storyknives are both works of art and tools for image-making. They were used by young girls to draw in mud, wet sand, or snow, illustrating the stories they told their friends. These tales often involved myths, frightening personal experiences, or accounts they learned from their relatives; the practice thus helped girls learn about the values and traditions of their society. Made as gifts by their owners’ fathers or uncles, storyknives were used until puberty. They are frequently carved in the shape of a bird, with the head serving as the handle and abstracted, skeletal lines extending along the shaft, suggesting the internal composition of the creature.