Congrats From Mi.
Calling a knife without provenance a trade knife is often optimistic.
Then too couldn't most any knife be traded?
Trader inventories sometimes show knives. Sorry I'm not recalling those involved in a couple Rendezvous back when out West inventories.
I don't recall mention of being unhandled knives .Though they would be cheaper and take up less space transporting them. And the risk of damage too to wood scales on cheap knives.
Who traded at the Straits? And when.
French became isolated a while and trade goods petered out.
But Detroit had goods. Heck natives went back and forth to Green Bay far to the West and who knows from where else.
a couple things come to mind about your finds context of region.
One is roach bellied knives vs fish. Both of which would suit the area.
Another is of course the fur trade. Where a skinning knife makes more sense if not nicking a hide mattered.
The general type skinning knife of your pattern isn't really for muskrats or mink ect. For a moose or beef hide sure , and thank you. Deer? Well yes but most general knives can work a deer hide and get it pulled off when warm easy enough despite the effort.
Then more thought. Can a knife like yours balance hides and fish? While not excelling , certainly. Enough to consider when looking for a knife. Or trading one.
Why the holes through the tang like they are?
There are likely others I don't know of but A Robinson co. had at least one pattern with a single big rivet/pin hole midspan of the scales. Then two small pins each end.
Most pinned knives exhibit a pattern. Both for cosmetics and practical engineering.
Yours does not when looking at pinned scales. I have an idea of a real example for later mention though.
Good ol high carbon steel case hardened and then tempered holds a good edge , is durable but still flexes a good amount without breaking. Problem being though if you want to drill a hole without annealing (softening , then having to retreat the material so it isn't soft) it takes a heck of a drill bit. A proper punch and backer and high pressure hydraulics not likely in old time hands in the field.
( Green River knives (not the rendezvous out West Green River) were made by water powered equipment early on but likely late in any national early fur trade.)
So making holes in a good blades tang is a challenge.
How to use the least amount of holes on a full tang knife but still hold scales?
How to mount scales is a subject of its own. One side can be holed using the blades holes for a pattern.
Why not the other too?
How about we put temporary pins through it through the first scale then set it all on the second scale to mark holes?
The oblong hole in the rear of the tang on yours adds to the intrigue. Lets call it adjustable for the angle of the dangle if a pin doesn't line up right?
O.K. onto less pins and simpler pattern I teased was coming.
Put a pin centered midspan of the tangs width in each end of where you want scales.
Did we need to soften the steel first? Then after we reharden it. What about tempering it? The hole knife or just the tang? What if the tang is too hard from case hardening only? (You might crack or break the knife by flexing it.)
Do people in very cold temperatures need to warm axe blades before using them? Some do and Some should. What about a knife?
Anyways.
Take one of our scales to go on our two pinned knife.
Cut a groove at a slight curve towards opposite side and slightly towards center of tang with center of grooves curve being near where we want it to be at the pins location. Length of groove about half the tangs width. Noe reverse the other end of the scales groove to have the open end of the groove on the opposite side of the tang.
we set the scale on the tang at quite an angle then and turn it to allow grooves in scale to slide each side of pins until seated at limit of groove against pins. Repeat with other scale on opposite side of knife.
Apply that attempt to your knife.
IF scales slip or move pitch will secure them. (Should be pitched before adding scales.) So will another pin later?
Iberson (English) ran three pins up center of tang.
Somewhere is a French example too.
Your large centerpin / rivet hole though.....Is neither.
.
.
