ANTIQUE 19thC INUIT NARWHAL HARPOON, BAFFIN ISLAND / HUDSON BAY, ARTIC CANADA
An extremely rare Inuit harpoon made out of a narwhal tusk, originating from Arctic Canada and dating from the 19th century. It is difficult to date the harpoon exactly as the design and use was the same over centuries but it is most certainly 19th century and quite possibly 18th century. Inuits used such harpoons made out of marine ivory to hunt narwhales and walrus.
Reference Number: B8781
DESCRIPTION
An extremely rare Inuit harpoon made out of a narwhal tusk, originating from Arctic Canada and dating from the 19th century. It is difficult to date the harpoon exactly as the design and use was the same over centuries but it is most certainly 19th century and quite possibly 18th century. Inuits used such harpoons made out of marine ivory to hunt narwhales and walrus.
Bowhead whales were too large for one hunter to take alone. In parts of the eastern arctic several men and kayaks hunted them in a group. In north-west Alaska, Asia and Greenland, cruise of men using open boats called ‘Umiaks‘ hunted bowheads. A standard crew consisted of eight men, including six paddlers, one harpooner and one helmsman all of whom concentrated on the specialised task, as opposed to the kayak hunter who had to propel and steer his craft and handle the harpoon and Lance all by himself.
A third form of hunting was used in the Pacific Inuit area where several different species of whale were to be found. The single kayak hunter attempted to place a light poison tipped Lance into a whale and then immediately returned home and began a series of ritual procedures designed to kill the whale by magic, while other hunters in kayaks monitored the movements of the whale. As it swam about the lungs worked itself progressively further into his body and the poison began to spread. If the Lance had been properly placed the whale eventually died. However, whales often expired far from where they had been struck and those harpooned by hunters from one village were frequently recovered by those from another, but since the same hunting technique was employed all over the region there was a supply of dead whales floating over an extensive area, ultimately yielding something for everyone.
The Inuit people went to great lengths to please the spirit of the major game animals they depended on for their subsistence and survival, and this unusual harpoon may have been made and used to hunt narwhal in the belief that its familiar task would charm and appease the narwhal’s spirit.
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CONDITION
In Great Condition - Superb original condition, good honey coloured patina, on a later stand. Please refer to photographs.
SIZE
Height on stand: 112cm
Narwhal lengh: 106cm
Narwhal Depth: 3.5cm
Narwhal Width: 3cm
Diameter of the base: 20cm
