Harpoon counterweight

Archives | Alaska

Harpoon counterweight

Alaska

Winged object
Old Bering Sea II-III culture
Archaic Eskimo

400 – 800 A.D.
Marine ivory
Length: 7 ¼ in. (18.5 cm)

Ex collection Jeffrey R. Myers, New York
Ex Christie’s New York, 6 July 1994, lot 133
Important American Indian Art including Property from the Sadruddin Aga Khan Collection of Eskimo Ivories and Northwest Coast Art
Ex collection Joe Gerena, New York
Ex private collection, Paris

For Henry B. Collins, author of the first classic study on ancient Old Bering Sea objects, "Prehistoric Art of the Alaskan Eskimo", in 1929, “winged objects were the masterpieces of Eskimo art”.
This ancient Eskimo counterweight, called a “winged object”, was attached to the back of a hunting harpoon in order to ensure its aerodynamic stability in flight. The hunt for marine mammals was essential to survival in the Bering Strait region. Above and beyond their purely functional aspects, these harpoons also had a sacred dimension, which reveals itself here through the finely engraved shamanic designs which cover the surface of this extremely rare sculpture dating 2000 years back.

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Barbed spear point

Archives | Alaska

Barbed spear point

Alaska

Bird dart

Old Bering Sea I culture, Okvik

200 BC – 100 AD
Marine ivory
Length: 6 ¼ in. (16cm)

Ex Sotheby’s New York , 30 Nov. 1995, lot 447
Ex collection Bill & Carol Wolf
Ex collection Donald Ellis
Ex private collection, France

Exhibited and published
“Gifts from the Ancestors” Princeton University Art Museum, 2009- 2010, pl. 71 p. 302
“Art of the Arctic, Reflections of the Unseen”, Donald Ellis, 2016, pl. 45 p. 60

Sold
Starting 10 or 12,000 years ago, semi-nomadic hunters ventured across the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska, following the migration of large sea mammals. These first Paleo-Eskimo populations progressively established themselves on St. Lawrence Island, a choice hunting ground for walruses and seals. This is where the Okvik / Old Bering Sea I culture emerged around 100 B.C.
Virtually no trees nor plants could grow in the hostile climate of the Far North. Therefore, hunting sea mammals was key to survival. Season after season, century after century, Arctic people have adapted and perfected their equipment and technical know-how.
One of the most salient achievements of engineering in ancient Eskimo culture was the toggling harpoon.
This reusable hunting implement had to be heavy enough to penetrate the thick skin of walruses or seals and short enough to be thrown by a hunter aboard his kayak.
The invention of the harpoon ensured organized, predictable and fruitful hunting expeditions, establishing the foundation for a stable and flourishing culture.
Arctic carvers decorated their hunting gear with shamanic designs to enhance their spiritual potency and maximize their efficacy.
Throughout history, Eskimo cultures have shared the belief that all things in the physical world are imbued with a living spirit, or inua. In order to gain favor with the spirits controlling the animals, a hunter had to approach his prey in a respectful manner. It was believed that decorated objects, through their beauty, attracted the prey and at the same time honored its spirit. Carved depictions of great predators like polar bears or raptors on hunting equipment also helped it find its way to the prey. The harpoon was seen as a traveler between spirit worlds, a messenger between the humans and the creatures of the sea.

Harpoon heads were designed for speed and imbued with a lethal grace. They resemble teeth or talons, a visual means of asking the soul of the animal to give its flesh to the hunter. The finely carved elements of the harpoon served definite functional purposes; they were also endowed with supernatural power. They were passed down from generation to generation and were eventually buried in the graves of important members of the community.

For centuries, the complex belief system of shamanism, allied with masterful technical know-how have guided Subarctic people in the material world and beyond, and have ensured their survival in a hostile environment.
With the help of global warming, present-day Eskimos are able to carry out yearly archeological digs in the permafrost, allowing precious evidence of ancestral hunting practices to be brought to light.

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CoLLECTIoNS

Bear figure

Archives | Alaska

Bear figure

Alaska

Zoomorphic toggle

Archaic cultures from Alaska

Walrus tooth
18th century or earlier
Height: 1 in. ( 2.7 cm)

Ex collection Walter C. Waters, the Bear Totem Store, Wrangell, Alaska, before 1950
Ex private collection, France

Sold
According to Fitzhugh et Kaplan (Inua: Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo, 1982 : 156), these shamanic figurines were carved for several purposes: to stand in for people absent from the village during festivals, to avert infertility, or else to focus the attention of animal inua (spirit) during the Doll Festival, which was held to bless hunting and fishing expeditions in the coming year.

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CoLLECTIoNS

Bear figure

Archives | Alaska

Bear figure

Alaska

Zoomorphic toggle

Archaic cultures from Alaska

Walrus tooth
18th century or earlier
Length: 1 ¼ in. ( 3.1 cm)

Ex collection Walter C. Waters, the Bear Totem Store, Wrangell, Alaska, before 1950
Ex private collection, France

Sold
According to Fitzhugh et Kaplan (Inua: Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo, 1982 : 156), these shamanic figurines were carved for several purposes: to stand in for people absent from the village during festivals, to avert infertility, or else to focus the attention of animal inua (spirit) during the Doll Festival, which was held to bless hunting and fishing expeditions in the coming year.

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Thule Birds

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Thule Birds

Alaska

Thule culture (Ancient Eskimo)
Walrus tooth
12th-16th century
Length: between 1 in. & 2in. (2.5cm & 5cm)

Exhibited & published: “Bestiaire du Monde – Arts des Lointains”, Cluny Abbey, May-June 2018

Thule bird figures / Galerie Flak Price on request
According to Fitzhugh et Kaplan (Inua: Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo, 1982 : 156), these shamanic figurines were carved for several purposes: to stand in for people absent from the village during festivals, to avert infertility, or else to focus the attention of animal inua (spirit) during the Doll Festival, which was held to bless hunting and fishing expeditions in the coming year.

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