Notes

From card: "Illus. in Proceedings, USNM, vol. 60; Pl. 24, no. 11, p. 48."Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on harpoon head http://www.alaska.si.edu/media.asp?enlarge=758, retrieved 5-6-2012: Harpoon head, Haida. Before firearms Haida men hunted seals using harpoons and clubs. Their main weapon was a light cedar harpoon about ten feet long, tipped with a detachable barbed point made of bone or iron. A plaited seaweed cord linked the point to the shaft so that a harpooned seal had to pull it behind as it tried to escape. Hunters' songs honored the seals they had taken.This object is on loan to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, from 2010 through 2027. Only Harpoon head included on loan. Sheath not included on loan.