PUNUK/THULE CULTURES, MAINLAND ALASKA‍

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Bone was used extensively in Alaska for the crafting of blades, whether for knives, spears, harpoons, or other utilitarian purposes. Some blades were embellished with great care, incised with enchanting designs of fine lines and an interplay of flowing motifs and sharp notches. 

This blade, intended for a knife or spear, would have been used to hunt caribou and musk ox, or smaller game like hares, foxes, and wolverines. It shows beautiful craftsmanship, with delicate line work and nineteen precisely drilled holes, some of extremely small diameter. The larger, pierced holes were used to lash the blade to the spear shaft or knife handle. Viewed vertically, the hole groupings suggest a host of overlapping, abstract faces, evoking a subtle anthropomorphism when combined with the curving silhouette of the blade.

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