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| Baleen is the feeding jaw of a Bowhead whale. Bowhead whales use the baleen to strain
the krill from the water and obtain food. Each spring the whaling captains from Point Hope
trek out on the sea ice where the first cracks form. There they wait for the Bowhead Whale
to come up thruogh the ice for air. The whaling crews then give chase in a small bearded
sealskin boat paddling to catch the whale. The only weapon they use is a harpoon - much like
the way they have harvested whales for 2,500 years. No part of the whale is wasted from a
harvest; the baleen is used for basketry and scrimshaw carvings along with other jewelry and
art.
This baleen basket is truly a marvel of human engineering and a product of subsistence.
Taikuu (Thank You) |
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