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.