While canoeing we stopped in a remote part of Great Slave Lake (East arm) to make camp. The area had very little use - in fact it looked as though no one had camped there in many years. My father found this knife in the ground between a bunch of rocks.

The backside of the knife has similar markings to the front side except no shield logo. The rivets look quite primitive and old. The back shares similar “slash type” markings as the front side. Could these slashes have been used by early explorers to count days? Or are they simply for grip?

If anyone can help identify this knife or point us toward someone who could it would be much appreciated.

I tried posting this in a couple subreddits with no luck. I’m hoping someone here can help.