Serving Stick With Nettle Twine (Cord Reel)
date: label: Accession Date
content: 12 Feb 1883
name: label: Donor Name
content: James G. Swan
notes: label: Notes
content: From card: "To accompany the harpoons # 72634-6. Illus.: Hndbk. N. Amer. Ind., Vol. 7, Northwest Coast, Fig. 2c, pg. 424."
label: Notes
content: Described p. 106 in Brown, James Temple. 1883. The whale fishery and its appliances. Washington: Govt. print. off.: "Serving Stick And Twine. Stick, yew; twine, nettle fiber. Ends of stick carved to represent the caudal fin of the whale. Used in connection with the mallet (76638) to serve harpoon laniards. Length, 16 1/2 inches. Makah Indians, Cape Flattery, 1882. James G. Swan. By means of this implement and the mallet, twine is wound or wrapped around the harpoon lines in spiral folds in the same manner as ordinary seamen serve a rope with spun-yarn or marline. The Indians employed this process before the advent of the white man. The necessities of the case caused them to adopt a plan at once simple and effective. "This stick has been in the family from which it was procured more than four generations. It was the property of Chief Haiks, who died at Neah Bay thirty years ago. His whaling implements have been carefully preserved and never used since his death."—[J. G. Swan.]"
label: Record Last Modified
content: 7 Jul 2021
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Washington, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Makah
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 012690
label: USNM Number
content: E72637-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Reel / Line