Described p. 101 in Brown, James Temple. 1883. The whale fishery and its appliances. Washington: Govt. print. off.: "Harpoon Head And Laniard. Head, apparently a piece of an old saw blade, covered with a coating of spruce gum. Laniard, sinews of the whale served with twine made from fibers of nettle to render it impermeable to water. Barbs, elk bone; sheath, bark. Length, 20 feet. Makah Indians, Cape Flattery, 1883. James G. Swan. Used by natives for fastening seal-skin buoys to whales."

From card: "Double points such as are used on two-pronged salmon spear."

FROM CARD: "23479-80. #23480 - ILLUS. IN NAT. MUS. REPT 1884, P1. XIII, P. 306."

This basket is small and almost flat-- looks like it might be a lid, but it doesn't fit any of the other baskets in this catalog number.

From card for E23523-46: "Dec 20, 1972, Bill Holm says that these are definitely Haida."Cultural ID for paddles E23523 - 23546 is somewhat in question. They were catalogued as Clallam, Bill Holm has identified them as Haida, but James Swan in correspondence in the accession file references 24 Bella Bella paddles.

From card: "Introduced by Makah 70 years ago. [i.e. about 70 years prior to 1917.] Oval, of cedar bark, rush, grass and seaweed. The latter material is in shades of dark brown and green. Pattern the .... mask." "Mask pattern" may represent wolf per Barbara Brotherton, Seattle Art Museum, 12-7-2009