St. Lawrence Island Yupik
Harpoon Socketpiece
Bering Sea III, 400-600
Scroll
St. Lawrence Island Yupik
Harpoon Socketpiece
Bering Sea III, 400-600
Physical Qualities
Petrified walrus ivory, 11 in. (28 cm.)
Credit Line
John Erikson Collection
Object Number
1955.167.6
Like nearly every object used for hunting, this harpoon socketpiece was intended to honor animal spirits, attract game, and reflect the sacred partnership between animals and humans. An Old Bering Sea (also known as St. Lawrence Island Yupik) carver created the intricate curvilinear designs between 400 BCE and 600 CE. This object fit on the front of a harpoon and connected the head and shaft. Harpoons were essential to survival. They were used to hunt the wealth of sea mammals in the Bering Strait, located between present-day Russia and Alaska.
Purchased by John Erikson in Alaska ca. 1900
Arctic Artistry
American Wing Rotations 2025
Inua Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo, pp. 244 & 295.
"The Far North: 2000 Years of American Eskimo & Indian Art," National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 1973, p. 15.
Wm. Strutevant, ed., "Handbook of North American Indians," V. 5: "Arctic," (D. Damas, volume ed.), Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1984, pp. 110-111.
E. Keithhahn, "Native Alaskan Art in the State Historical Museum, Juneau, Alaska, Juneau, 1959, ill. A-2856.
Allen Wardwell, "Ancient Eskimo Ivories of the Bering Strait," New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1986, ill. 73, 81, 83.
William W. Fitzhurgh and Aron Crowell, "Crossroads of Continents: Cultures of Siberia and Alaska," Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988, p. 122.
"Toward a Better Understanding of Old Bering Sea Art," American Indian Art Magazine, Vol. 12, no. 2, Spring 1987, pp. 36-43.
"The Far North: 2000 Years of American Eskimo & Indian Art," National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 1973, p. 15.
Wm. Strutevant, ed., "Handbook of North American Indians," V. 5: "Arctic," (D. Damas, volume ed.), Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1984, pp. 110-111.
E. Keithhahn, "Native Alaskan Art in the State Historical Museum, Juneau, Alaska, Juneau, 1959, ill. A-2856.
Allen Wardwell, "Ancient Eskimo Ivories of the Bering Strait," New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1986, ill. 73, 81, 83.
William W. Fitzhurgh and Aron Crowell, "Crossroads of Continents: Cultures of Siberia and Alaska," Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988, p. 122.
"Toward a Better Understanding of Old Bering Sea Art," American Indian Art Magazine, Vol. 12, no. 2, Spring 1987, pp. 36-43.
Inscribed: None.
