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Artifact of the Week: Iñupiat Harpoon Points

What do you think these were used for?

What are they made of?

Who made them?



Answers:

What do you think these were used for? What are they made of?

These are harpoon points made from bone! One of them was cleaned and polished, which is why its coloring appears lighter than all the rest. Iñupiat hunters traditionally hunted for caribou, reindeer, moose, walrus and beluga whale. In fact, today many Inuit groups still hunt for these animals and others using harpoons similar to these ones, although now they are made out of metal.

Who made them?

These points are believed to have been made by Iñupiat people, members of the Inuit culture and one of many groups of indigenous inhabitants of Alaska. The Iñupiat people have been living in the Northwestern Arctic region for at least 4000 years, and like other Inuit groups are believed to have descended from the Thule people.



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