History behind the Native?

[tripscheck'em]

Spyderco's names typically say something about a knife's nature. The Endura is made to endure anything, the Delica is for delicate things, the Stretch covers it all, the Military is for harsh conditions, but the Native? Is there a history behind the name, like maybe the knife being based on a edged tool/weapon native to America, whether Indians or Europeans?

[Horizon]

Im curious also.

[The Deacon]

Probably not an "ethnic design". May have something to do with the Native originally being designed to meet Walmart's request for a relatively inexpensive folder made in the USA. While that deal didn't work out, and the original version was so badly flawed that Spyderco disowned it, the name stuck.

[The CoPilot]

The story behind the C41 Native was given some ink in Kenneth DeGlavigne's The Spyderco Story (Golden, CO: Paladin Press, 2000). My copy is at the office right now so I don't have access to it. There was some good background information on the C41 in there, though. Walmart played into the story of the original Native (which ended up being referred to as the "BRK Native": See The Deacon (Paul Beretta)'s website for the story on that one. Go to http://www.paulberetta.com and on the left handed menu choose "SPY-101 Spyderco Collecting FAQ" and the select "What is a 'BRK Native' and Why Do People Hate Them".

Actually, it was the C41 Native that was my first introduction to Spyderco lack in the late 1990s. My younger brother acquired an FRN handled model (plain edge with a CPM440V blade if I remember right). I was so enamored with the design of the knife (round hole, pocket clip etc.) that I just had to have one. After a little searching, I decided to purchase an all-stainless version with a plain edge blade. Little did I know at the time that that version (Native II with PE blade) would turn out to be a real rarity. I still have and regularly carry that knife.

One funny thing I remember about acquiring that Native will tell you how little I knew about Spyderco and the production of their knives. When my brother had purchaed his C41 Native it said "Golden, Colorado, USA, Earth" on the blade and it came in a blue and white sliding cardboard box with the Spyderco logo on it. When I ordered my all-stainless Native II PE (from eBay, if I remember), it showed up wrapped in foil-backed paper inside a plain old blue cardboard box with a white label on it. To top it all off, instead of saying "Golden, CO" on the blade mine said "Seki-City, Japan". This made me all but certain that I had been sold a foreign knock-off of a Spyderco knife. I almost sent it back for a refund before I learned that some of Spyderco's best models had always been produced in Japan. Looking back on the whole thing know makes me laugh at how little I truly knew about the company in those days. :D

From there I decided that I wanted to acquire an example of the every variety of C41 Native that Spyderco made. Although I wasn't successful, I made a pretty good run at it and managed to find a lot of scarce varieties along the way in the early 1990s. About 2006 I got my hands on my first C09 CoPilot and the rest was history

When I first joined the Spyderco Forum my username was NativeAmerican. (Probably not too many of you have been around here long enough to remember that.) That username caused some confusion about my ethnicity and when my interests shifted to the C09 CoPilot, TazKristi was willing to allow me to change my username to "The CoPilot."

[PayneTrain]

I remember some years ago reading that the name referred to the ergos. It was designed for the hand, and meant to felt like it belonged there. Like it was a "native". I'm sure it was articulated much better and I'm not sure if it was a Spyderco source or a retailer's poetic license for marketing purposes, but that's how I was introduced to the Native 1 and how I've understood the name ever since.

[attila]

I ran across a site that goes into some detail about the natives' history. It doesn't refer to the naming of it, unfortunately. That I haven't found written anywhere yet. Also, I don't know how factual it is, but it doesn't look made up.

http://www.paulberetta.com/natives.htm

[The Deacon]

The Spyderco Story says that, in addition to creating an affordable US made knife, one of Sal's goals for the C41 was to donate part of the profits to an education fund for Native Americans. Not sure if that's still being done, but the name may be a reflection of that goal. It may also reflect the Native's "family" relationship with the earlier Renegade and Black Hawk.

[Horizon]

Thanks, guys

[kbuzbee]

Interesting stuff

Ken

[jasonp1]

I think I know why it's called the native :)

[Pelagic]

https://youtu.be/_ENOAxBjwog

Here you go. Guest appearance of the Chief prototype as well.

[GarageBoy]

Very cool back story to a very iconic Spyderco - the swedge 440v version is so quintessential Spyderco to me

Love the FRN pattern on those too. The Native III had that cool thick handle too, but didn't seem that popular