Native American quirt?

This item appeared today in a local antique shop. At first I thought it was a bone fid for working with rope but, after a bit of research, I’m now fairly sure it’s a Native American (Plains Cree?) quirt / horse whip. It looks to be made of elk horn and rawhide, and has traces of what may be red ochre paint on it. What do you think?

 

I see where you're coming from, but with no markings or ornamentation....it's not possible to tell exactly where it comes from or it's age....
Still.........Quirt like , at the very least,,