One of several from my studio shelving - a vintage "egg basket", with antlers and horns ~ "shed" and otherwise. The egg basket(s) came from my mother-in-law's dairy farm in Oregon, circa 1960's and 1970's. The horns and antlers collected from 1960's through 2010. I love to tramp around the mountains in Washington, about the very end of winter or early spring, and hunt for "shed antlers". I am very careful to not do this before the "new horns/antlers" come in for the current season, which is very disruptive to the development of the "new horns/antlers". Some states have requirements with regard to the timing of hunting "shed antlers" ~ seasonal hunting openings for instance.
The horn antler on top ~ that looks like either a hand or shaped as a finger-less mitten, is the shovel portion from a moose ~ Southeastern Alaska. Circa 1960's and 1970's.
Caribou antler buttons, North Central Alaska. Circa 1980's.
Caribou or reindeer? They’re actually the same. “Reindeer” is the name given to caribou in Scandinavia and Russia, but caribou and reindeer are the same species (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) wherever they are found in the world. caribou or reindeer?
Caribou is a traditional food of Indigenous Peoples of of Northern North America. Where I am from, these Peoples are also referred to as First Nations.
"Migratory caribou, also commonly called barren-ground or tundra caribou, were highly valued by cultures living in Arctic and Subarctic areas including the Athapaskan, Dogrib, Hare (Sahtu), Loucheux (Gwich’in), Kutchin (Gwich’in), Inuit (including Nuvorugmiut, Caribou), Inupiat, Inuvialuit, Naskapi (Innu), Chipewyan and Algonquian. Migratory caribou were sometimes referred to as reindeer and also called deer at times". Migratory Caribou
Deer horn buttons. When making deer horn or any other horn or antler, one must take every precaution to do so safely. Always wear a mask that will filter the ultra-fine particles of horn/antler, as it will stay permanently in the lungs, exactly as does crystalline silica dust (causes silicosis and other dire lung diseases). This applies to all cutting, grinding, polishing. I use a Dremel tool, and secure the horn in a small vice. These are polished and sealed with an acrylic water-proof finish.
Interesting read: Deer Antlers in (Primitive) Survival
