Elk's Tooth Pendant (with deer-elk carving) c. 1850 - 1900

Editor: We’re looking at three Elk's Tooth Pendants carved by Pikuni (Blackfeet) artists around 1850-1900. They're small, almost miniature, each featuring a different animal depiction. I'm immediately struck by how tactile they seem, given the smooth surface of the teeth and the rough twine. What’s your perspective on these pieces? Curator: Consider the means of production. Elk teeth weren’t just lying around; acquiring them involved skilled hunting, reflecting a deep understanding of the natural world. The transformation of this raw material through carving – a slow, deliberate act – highlights a sophisticated technology accessible within the community. It transforms what might seem a simple object into a signifier of material wealth, perhaps an elk herder, hunter or a sign of other cultural status. Editor: That's a great point about accessibility and labor. So, the specific carving of the animals... the transformation process makes it more significant than just decoration? Curator: Precisely. We might consider the source of the pigment used for these carvings, and to what extent it would be local and impact availability? More important: this shifts the narrative of the artwork from being one focused on “artistic genius” to one centered on available raw materials, communal skill and collective identity. What stories do these objects embody for those who created and used them? How do they represent a relationship to natural resources? Editor: So it's more than just folk art, it's really tied into how they lived, worked, and what they valued materially? It makes you rethink "value". Curator: Absolutely. The context of the material informs and transforms the message within the folk art. Editor: This really highlights how understanding materials can unlock deeper interpretations. I hadn’t considered the procurement of elk teeth and processing it as such an active part of art and meaning. Curator: Seeing art through this material lens shifts how we interpret cultural values embedded within those physical objects and acts.