Whale Dart

Item number E5775-0 from the National Museum of Natural History.

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Notes

FROM CARD: "FISH SPEAR.-SHAFT OF CEDAR, 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER, PAINTED RED, AND END ENLARGED INTO A HEAD IN OUTER END OF WHICH IS INSERTED AND LASHED A FLAT BARBED PIECE OF BONE 1 FOOT IN LENGTH. IN A SLOT IN OUTER END OF LATTER IS LASHED A METAL SPEAR-HEAD. USED IN FISHING BY ALASKAN INDIANS, SITKA. LENGTH, 4 FT. 9 INS.; POINT, 3 INS. ALASKA, 1867. 5,775. COLLECTED BY CAPTAIN HOWARD, U.S. REVENUE MARINE SERVICE."On the shaft of the artifact itself, "Ounalaska" is written in old handwriting and Sitka has been crossed out. Per Aron Crowell, 2008, this object is an Aleut/Unangan whale dart, and therefore the Unalaska locality would be correct.Provenience note: collection locality of Sitka appears to have been erroneously attached to a number of the objects in the Howard collection. It appears the majority of the objects were probably instead collected in Unalaska/Aleutians (and some in St. Paul/Kodiak, Kodiak Island.)