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Unknown

100 BCE–200 CE · Walrus ivory · The American Wing

When early hunters succeeded in a big walrus kill, they transformed the animal’s precious ivory into finely wrought tools for their hunting kits. This toggle, carved in the form of a ferocious animal, possibly a sea lion, was attached to a harpoon and acted as a movable barb: when the body of a walrus was pierced, it prevented the spear from exiting the skin.

Artist

Unknown

Date

100 BCE–200 CE

Medium

Walrus ivory

Culture

Okvik, Native American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection of Native American Art, Promised Gift of Charles and Valerie Diker