Harpoon Counterbalance
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1880
name: label: Donor Name
content: Captain Edward P. Herendeen
notes: label: Notes
content: Object was received from Edward Perry Herendeen through William Healey Dall. Dall is mistakenly listed as the donor/collector on the catalogue card.
label: Notes
content: From card: "Illus. Collins, 1929, 5MC, vol. 81, no. 14."
label: Notes
content: Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on cast of this artifact A42927-1 https://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=490 , retrieved 7-31-2018; see web page for additional information: Harpoon counterbalance; Old Bering Sea III period, A.D. 400 - 800. Carvers of the Old Bering Sea culture engraved delicate, curving lines on harpoons and other objects made of walrus ivory. The beauty of the designs may have been intended to please and attract animals. This wing-like carving attached to the back end of a harpoon, giving the weapon balance for throwing and perhaps helping it to fly straight to its target.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 26 Apr 2024
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Point Hope, Point Hope Quad, Alaska, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Archaeology
culture: label: Culture
content: Old Bering Sea
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 008898
label: USNM Number
content: A42927-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Harpoon Counterbalance
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 20.8 cm