Description:

Alaska, Birnirk culture, ca. 6th to 12th century CE. This is a pair of bone tools with excellent dark patina used along the coast of Alaska. Birnirk settlements were small, with only one or two occupied houses, meaning that there were probably not enough people in a group to hunt for whale; instead, they hunted seal, caribou, and smaller game like Arctic hares. The smaller of these items is an ice scratcher (also known as a seal call), used by hunters to reassure their prey -- sunning seals -- by scratching the ice with these implements, mimicking the sound of other seals. The other, larger object is a knife handle; the blade would have had a flint inset. The Arctic peoples have fascinated me since I watched a series of documentaries by the National Film Board of Canada about traditional Arctic ways of life; they are masters of making do with limited resources in an incredibly harsh climate. Beautiful tools like these remind me of their ingenuity! Size of largest (knife handle): 1.4" W x 4.5" H (3.6 cm x 11.4 cm).

Provenance: Ex- Private Alaska collection

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#112964

  • Condition: Both have wear, but shapes are clear.

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May 12, 2016 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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