Seal Harpoon Head

Item number E88927-0 from the National Museum of Natural History.

Public

Item Records

This page shows all the information we have about this item. Both the institution that physically holds this item, and RRN members have contributed the knowledge on this page. You’re looking at the item record provided by the holding institution. If you scroll further down the page, you’ll see the information from RRN members, and can share your own knowledge too.

The RRN processes the information it receives from each institution to make it more readable and easier to search. If you’re doing in-depth research on this item, be sure to take a look at the Data Source tab to see the information exactly as it was provided by the institution.

These records are easy to share because each has a unique web address. You can copy and paste the location from your browser’s address bar into an email, word document, or chat message to share this item with others.

Data
Data Source

This information was automatically generated from data provided by National Museum of Natural History. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

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.