Collections Highlight E427980: Bottle Opener

By Tiffany Priest

 

This object was collected by Dr. C.E. Folk Jr. and acquired by the museum in 1995. This bottle opener is affiliated with the Inupiat (Eskimo), an Alaska Native group. The bottle opener was designed by “Nuguruk”, which is indicated by the artist’s signature in the lower right corner of the handle. The handle is made from a whale tooth, which is also a type of ivory! One end of the handle was naturally hollowed, the socket of the tooth, and the other was fitted with the metal opener. In the close-up images of the handle you’ll also notice some pitting and staining near the edge of the socket. The handle has a scrimshaw scene depicting a figure driving a dog team pulling a sled much like the one discussed in one of our earlier posts.

 

If you want to see a close-up of the scrimshaw designs on the bottle opener check out the other images taken by our photographer!

 

 See more incredible Circumpolar objects by exploring the Anthropology Collections Search online!

 

Collections Highlight E64289: Bird Skin Gloves

By Tiffany Priest

These gloves were collected by Edward Nelson, an explorer who was stationed on the Bering Sea coast of Alaska from 1877 to 1881. These gloves are made from bird skin and are affiliated with the Inupiat (Eskimo) Alaska Native group. The gloves were collected from the Diomede Islands, which are home to approximately 4.7 million seabirds according to Audubon Alaska.  We are unsure what kind of bird was used to make these gloves. The birds would usually be caught using nets or bolas like this. We also are unsure what the lining is made from, but the cuffs appear to be made from polar bear fur!

See more incredible Circumpolar objects by exploring the Anthropology Collections Search online!

Free Public Lecture: Ghosts of Caribou Herds Past

Collections Highlight E332296: Cribbage-Board

By Tiffany Priest

This object was collected by Dr. Aleš Hrdlička, the founder of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, near King Island, Alaska, and was accessioned into the museum in 1926. This object is affiliated with the Inupiat (Eskimo) Alaska Native group. It is 53 cm long and 4.5 cm wide. It is made from walrus tusk with scrimshaw depictions of a kayak, seals, and a bear’s head relief at the end. There are four rows of small round holes on the surface that would have held ivory pegs which would be used to keep score during the card game, cribbage. There is also a small ivory peg that keeps the tusk upright during play.

If you want to see more of scrimshaw designs on the cribbage board check out the other images taken by our photographer!

 See more incredible Circumpolar objects by exploring the Anthropology Collections Search online!