Whale Harpoon and lanyard
ca. 1880
Harpoon points with heavy yew wood shafts were attached to long cedar rope lines holding sealskin floats. As the harpoon penetrated the breaching whale behind the left flipper, the floats unfurled, causing resistance to the struggling whale. Thus weakened, it would be dispatched with lance thrusts. Originally harpoon blades were made from sharpened mussel shells, but sea mammal hunters were quick to adopt metal points.
Iron point, elk antler, spruce pitch, fiber cord
Length: 300in. (762cm)
Width: 3in. (7.6cm)
Gift of John and Grace Putnam
2006.25
