The ice scoop was a tool used by the Inuit seal hunter seeking prey at the breathing hole. Meticulous cleaning and shaping of the ice and snow surrounding a seal’s breathing hole preceded hours of waiting and watching for the slightest sign of a submerged seal coming up for air. Seals maintained multiple breathing holes, so a day of vigilance at a single hole might prove fruitless for the hunter. If there was a successful harpoon strike and a seal was hauled out of the water, the pointed end of the scoop would be thrust into its eye, quickly ending the struggle. As stated in the “Inuit Braining Stone” article, this was one of four ways to finish a seal.

A carved section of musk ox horn is gracefully mated to a sharpened antler spike. The V-joint is pinned with copper and bound with hide. A hide loop has been added to the handle - though historically correct, its intended purpose is not entirely clear to the artist.

illustration by Frederic Back from the book INUIT, Glimpses of an Arctic Past by the Canadian Museum of Civilization

Length 16 ½” Was $1200 Not Available SOLD