Artifact Eskimo Inuit Harpoon Foreshaft 12 " Thule Era Or Earlier 500, Years
Item History & Price
The Harpoon was a highly developed, durable, very adaptive weapon. The key components were the haft, foreshaft, transfer shaft and toggle harpoon, all were interchangeable and all were designed to work together to secure and kill animals 10s to 100s of times larger than the human wielding it. At the center of that harpoon was a foreshaft bridging the gap between the wooden haft and the transfer shaft. Foreshafts need...ed to be cylindrical and strong enough to absorb punishing impacts. The ideal material for this crucial component was an Oosik. This early example is exactly that, at 12" long I will spare you the size jokes but it is impressive by any standard and would have clearly been a critical component in the largest of harpoons which were used to hunt whale. Last photo is on a 1" x 1" grid to prove my point. Please look at our other items.
