Bone
1000 AD
Height 3 1/4" Width 2 3/4"
Provenance: Private Northwest Collection
Alaska, Inuit, Aleutian, or Punuk peoples, Prehistoric period. A finely-preserved and beautifully incised stabilizer finial carved from marine mammal bone, likely walrus. The stabilizer has a pair of broad wing-form projections. The atlatl is a lengthy pole used to increase the distance, velocity, and accuracy of a thrown spear. The lateral wings of the stabilizer emulate the feathers on an arrow by stabilizing the structure of the atlatl pole and by mitigating aerodynamic drag when thrown.
Bone
1000 AD
Height 3 1/4" Width 2 3/4"
Provenance: Private Northwest Collection
Alaska, Inuit, Aleutian, or Punuk peoples, Prehistoric period. A finely-preserved and beautifully incised stabilizer finial carved from marine mammal bone, likely walrus. The stabilizer has a pair of broad wing-form projections. The atlatl is a lengthy pole used to increase the distance, velocity, and accuracy of a thrown spear. The lateral wings of the stabilizer emulate the feathers on an arrow by stabilizing the structure of the atlatl pole and by mitigating aerodynamic drag when thrown.
