A Ciboleros buffalo hunting knife set and sheath….

ChuckBurrows

Well-Known Member
The Ciboleros were the Spanish and mixed blood buffalo hunters of Northern New Mexico. They hunted buffalo for meat and robes on the Llano Estacado aka Staked Plains of North Texas, Eastern New Mexico, and SE Colorado. To learn more about these intrepid hunters here is a link and there is even more info available elsewhere for those interested in researching the subject.
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/poc02

The following pics show my vision of what one of these hunters might have personally carried as a skinning/meat cutting set. All blades are based on styles commonly available in the area during the 1820-1870’s period and the materials used for the sheath also match what would have available to the folks living then and there.
The beadwork on the cuff is an exacting copy of the beadwork on an original So Cheyenne pipe bag. The So Cheyenne along with the Kiowa, Comanches, Utes, and Jicarillas would have been the tribes that the Ciboleros would have most often interacted and traded with on their hunts.
The Skinner has a 5 7/8” long blade by Dennis Miles of Double Edge Forge who builds his knives using only the, materials, tools, and methods available to an 18th Century frontier blacksmith/cutler.
The Sticker has a 6 ½” blade re-shaped from a vintage John Russell Green River butcher knife blade from circa 1870’s. The blade was in relic condition with no handle along with a broken tip and tang so nothing historically valuable was ruined to make this piece.
The 6 3/8” blade of the Steel is from the mid-20th century.
All blades were re-handled using deer leg bone, pewter, buffalo calf skin rawhide, and linen cord for the sewing and the cord wraps.
The Sheath is deer rawhide over bark tan cow hide, with a brain tan deer hide beaded cuff. Besides the 8/0 glass pound beads decorating the edges and cuff, there are brass tacks and tin cone dangles with buffalo hair tufts. Brass beads and tin cones decorate the belt loop ties. The entire set was then given a patina of age – used but not abused……….

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PS - the shot pouch in the last two images is still in the works, but soon.......
 
Glad ya'll enjoyed the view and thanks for the kind comments..
I posted pics of the finished pouch in a separate thread...
 
Very interesting I did not know about them. I love early American knives, here are two of mine. They have been called buffalo Skinners or lamb splitter's depending on I guess who used them. The first one is marked & I was able to date it at about 1860. The 2nd one is unmarked but seems to be newer design, maybe early 1900's
This one is next to a 10" chef knife for size comparison
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It's sharp
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This 2nd one is a beast, almost 3lb's
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One thing I learned was that the buffalo HUMP was a delicacy!!
I guess it's like a GIANT rack of ribs
I want to try some buffalo hump (American Bison?) rack o' ribs some day .. ..:)

Beautiful knives!!:s11798:

Have you ever thought of making a HOCKING knife?
I read that there were a few hocking knife killings in New Mexico back in the day :34:
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One thing I learned was that the buffalo HUMP was a delicacy!!
I guess it's like a GIANT rack of ribs
I want to try some buffalo hump (American Bison?) rack o' ribs some day .. ..:)

Trent - Back in the day when I would go play "Mountain Man" for a week or three at any of the big Ronny-voo's out west here, someone would always have a "hump-roast". We'd dig a big pit the day before and get a fire really going. When we had red hot coals about two feet deep in it, we'd wrap the hump in a wet burlap sack, throw it in and cover it with more coals and about a foot of dirt. Come nightfall we'd be eatin' big! I can't say that I know of one present day meal that comes even close. Now you can keep the Boudins - which are buffalo intestines stuffed with meat, liver, heart and fat. That's about the only thing on a buff that I don't like.

Best regards and God Bless,
Wayne

Full Time Maker
Member of the Professional Knifemakers Association
www.jarrettknives.com
Are you a Dawg yet?


Be sure to check out the new Jarrett Knives Forum
 
Trent - Back in the day when I would go play "Mountain Man" for a week or three at any of the big Ronny-voo's out west here, someone would always have a "hump-roast". We'd dig a big pit the day before and get a fire really going. When we had red hot coals about two feet deep in it, we'd wrap the hump in a wet burlap sack, throw it in and cover it with more coals and about a foot of dirt. Come nightfall we'd be eatin' big! I can't say that I know of one present day meal that comes even close. Now you can keep the Boudins - which are buffalo intestines stuffed with meat, liver, heart and fat. That's about the only thing on a buff that I don't like.

Best regards and God Bless,
Wayne

Full Time Maker
Member of the Professional Knifemakers Association
www.jarrettknives.com
Are you a Dawg yet?


Be sure to check out the new Jarrett Knives Forum

Hhahahhaha
That is awesome!!! :biggrin:
Did the hump still have the hair on it?

BTW.....Only ron day voo I have been to was in Creede, CO
It's what got me started in knife/hatchet collecting
I bought a hand forged tomahawk for 20 bucks..........
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I was wondering if I could get a buffalo rack at The Fort
http://www.thefort.com/Menu.htm
Maybe it's a special order item...hehhehehe
 
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