Harpoon-Head

Date1700-1900

MediumBone, hide

ClassificationsAgriculture/subsistence

Terms

Object numberC03224

DescriptionSmall serrated or barbed blade head of a harpoon. Made of bone.

Inuit harpoon-heads were either toggle-heads or barbed heads. The main difference between these two styles lies in the way each cements the animal in place - the toggle-head twists 90 degrees through a complex system of external lines and pulleys, while the barbed heads simply had teeth along the edges that secured the harpoon in place. This harpoon-head is evidently of the second category, with a longer shape and teeth running along the side such that the piece could easily puncture the flesh but not come loose from the hide.

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