Dart
29cm x 3cm
Wood, Sinew, Slate
Norton Sound, Alaska (Iñupiaq), c. 1878
Collector: E. W. Nelson
Museum ID: NEL.C2.ak.xxxx
This wooden dart could have been used in conjunction with harpoons for hunting beluga whales. The heads would remain lodged in the animal, allowing hunters to tow their prey to harvest them. This can be shown through the evidence of stains and missing strings that have been cut. Sinew is used to connect the slate tip to the shaft of the dart. This could possibly be a tourist item because the slate tip and lack or designs is inconsistent with most examples of authentic darts and harpoons.