on a wood base: two white whales swimming away from a human standing; the two whales are standing on a strip of baleen; ivory figures.
Donor:
Alaska Commercial Company, Benjamin Bristol, and Older University Collections
Collection place:
St. Michael Island, Nome Borough, Alaska
Verbatim coll. place:
Eskimo St. Michael; Eskimo, Bering Sea
Culture or time period:
Alaskan Eskimo
Materials:
Baleen, Ivory (material), and Wood (plant material)
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Carvings (visual works)
Function:
5.2 Magic: Objects Associated with Practices reflecting confidence in the ability to manipulate supernatural agencies, 5.7 Objects made for sale, souvenirs, models, and reproductions, and 6.2 Toys, Children’s Utensils, Objects used in the Education of Children