Halibut Hook Item Number: 4259 from the The Burke: University of Washington
Exhibit Label
A universal feature of northern halibut hooks is the sculptural decoration of the lower arm, the one that faces the ocean floor on which the halibut lie. The figures carved on this arm are intended to influence the fish to take the hook, and so exceed the decorative. They very often depict creatures combining the attributes of different beings. This one is half man and half halibut. (Holm, Spirit and Ancestor, 1987)
Item History
- Received
What
- Name
- Halibut Hook
- Identification Number
- 4259
- Type of Item
- halibut hook
- Material
- yellow cedar wood, alder wood, iron metal and cord
- Manufacturing Technique
- carved and wrapped
- Overall
- length 24.0 cm, height 11.5 cm, width 5.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Tlingit
- Received from
- “Alaska Commission, A.Y.P.” ?
Where
- Holding Institution
- The Burke: University of Washington
Other
- Motif
- Human | Halibut
- Collection
- Burke Museum Ethnology Collection