BROKEN TIP OF A
WALRUS IVORY HARPOON
NORTH AMERICA
SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND
IN THE BERING SEA
2120 YEARS BEFORE PRESENT
PRIVATE COLLECTION
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    This picture shows three views of the broken tip of the walrus ivory harpoon. It was discovered deeply imbedded in a bone segment from the flipper of a bowhead whale. This is a heavy duty projectile. Most whale harpoons have metal or stone blades attached to the point. An x-ray of the bone shows that this harpoon didn't have a cutting blade attached to the point. The piercing end of this harpoon is flat and squared and has no sharp cutting edge. The point was made by trimming away two opposite sides to form a chisel tip. This uncommon design was obviously very effective. It was deeply imbedded into the bone.

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