Hi Dale
From what I've read in a book on Mountain Man equipment:
Firearms, Traps, and Tools of the Mountain Men: A Guide to the Equipment of the Trappers and Fur Traders Who Opened the Old West / Russell, Carl P.
and on Bowie knives:
Norm Flayderman's Bowie Knife book.
The Civil War (Revolvers were reliable) changed the usage of a man's knife carried everyday from an important weapon to an important tool concerning food preparation. The Bowie knife we all know and love was a weapon that could be used to cut your food. After the Civil War, the knife was a tool to cut your food and maybe people that upset you.
The Native Americans didn't seem to carry the knife for weapons as much (they have tomahawks, arrows, and those big old clubs). I haven't STUDIED this part as much.
Later
Later