Sculpin Hook

2.75 x 0.5 cm
Ivory and iron nail
Norton Sound, Cape Nome, Alaska (Iñupiaq), c. 1880
Collector: E.W. Nelson
Museum ID: NEL.Cl.rbx.0078

Sculpin species are frequently caught in shallow water - there are hooks made especially for taking these kinds of fish. Hooks are made from pieces of ivory or stone and fitted together to make an oval shank. In the past, shanks were made of marine animal rib, but today, metal has replaced bone. The ivory on this piece could be 10,000 years or older based on the brownish color, which takes years to be absorbed from the ground. It takes great skill to be able to drill a hole into ivory without creating cracks. Based on subtle imperfections like smoothness, symmetry, and a previous hole whose upper half had broken off, the hook was used well and often.