Marlin spike." Made of ivory. Spike shape with crossbar at proximal end. Incised line with V at proximal end. Flat, 4-sided.
Donor:
Alaska Commercial Company, Benjamin Bristol, and Older University Collections
Collection place:
Bering Sea, Western Alaska
Verbatim coll. place:
Alaska
Culture or time period:
Alaskan Eskimo
Collector:
unknown
Collection date:
1898
Object type:
ethnography
Function:
1.1 Hunting and Fishing
Accession date:
1904
Context of use:
Used in putting on the backing of a bow to raise parts of the cord when an end is to be passed under and in tucking in the ends in finishing off a whipping. It was probably also used in putting whippings or seizings on any other implements.
Department:
Native US and Canada (except California)
Dimensions:
length 13.5 centimeters
Comment:
References: Murdoch. Pt. Barrow Eskimo, pp. 291-292.