The powder horn was a flask used for carrying the gun powder neede in loading the early muzzle loader fire arms of the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries.

A cow's horn was naturally suited for making into a powder horn, having only a soft, pulpy core that needed removing to make the horn hollow. A hole was burned into the tip of the horn for the spout, and the base of the horn was plugged with a piece of wood carved to fit. 

The horn's rough outer shell was scraped smooth with a flat blade, or the edge of a piece of broken glass; the surface, once smooth, was ideally suited to decoration by scratching images into the horn and then rubbing ink into the grooves. This form of decoration is called scrimshaw, and was very common on powder horns as a means of personalizing them.

What makes this powder horn so unique is its scrimshaw. While most powder horns were European, with European style gravings, this horn's engravings are patently Native American. The wildlife scenes, the floral patterns, and the owl-shaped stoper all indicate native ownership and is a very rare example of powder horn art.

Bruce Nail
January 2002

There are tree hotspots on the picture to the right.