Made from iron rod and caribou antler, the seal hook aided in retrieving a dead or wounded seal. This use of non-native metal is another example of the hunter craftsman creating a superior tool through adaptive repurposing. The iron point would penetrate the tough hide of a seal more effectively than one made of bone or copper. Incised native designs beautify both sides of the contoured handle.

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

Length 15 ½” $475