Two Ancient Inuit/Eskimo Caribou Bone Tools Thule Culture--700 years old AACA

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Two Ancient Inuit/Eskimo Caribou Bone Tools Thule Culture--700 years old AACA :
$370.00

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

Ancient Art, Antiques, & FineCollectibles

TwoAncient Inuit Eskimo Bone Tools:

5.7”Bone Hide Scraper/Finisher

and

5.3”Thule Tradition Hafted Bone End-Scraper or Knife Handle

c.Thule Culture

1200--1700

Note: I certify these ancient Inuit Eskimo tools werereportedly found on private land in Alaska in the 1920s and were made from either caribou ormoose bone about 700 years ago.

Caribouand moose bone are NOT on ’s Endangered Species list and thus arelegal to list and sell on .

Material: Caribou or Moose Bone

Tribe: Inuit/Eskimo

Est.Age: 1200--1700 AD

Condition: Very Good, Museum Quality

Location of Find: Alaska

Provenance: Ex collection of Norman Thayer

Boththese very old, Eskimo tools for working with animal hides were made about 700years ago from either caribou or moose bone.They show ancient wear from hand crafting/use and date to approximatelythe Inuit Nation’s early Thule Culture. Theywere reportedly found together, so I will only sell them as a pair. Guaranteed authentic and original!

Thesebone tools have a great ethnographic feel when held in the hand. These ancienthand tools have shallow wear indentations were the user’s fingers have worndown the bone on the sides of the tools from hundreds of hours of use centuriesago. The bone is heavily patinated whichconfirms their estimated age of about 700-years-old. Those tiny black dots you see on the bone arecalled marrow flecks and those only occur only on very old bone. Similar examples can be found in theSmithsonian’s American History Indian Museum collection in Washington DC.

BoneHide Scraper (Ikum) or Finisher {see photos # 2-7}

Thefirst bone tool is a hide scraper (ikum)or finisher that is approximately 5.66” (144 mm) long x 2.25” (57 mm)wide. This rectangular tool is believedto have been used to scrape and/or finish caribou and moose hides either withor without the thick fur. End scraperswere first used as skin dressing tools to clean hides of excess flesh, fat andmuscle fiber. Then, a “finisher” likethis one would be used to soften the hide before it was tanned and made intoclothing. The use of animal hides was avery important and necessary part of Eskimo/Inuit life and the preparation ofhides by women involved a tremendous amount of work and skill.

Oneend of this tool is flat, while the other has an angled edge of about 30degrees. This shallow angle suggeststhis tool was used as a finishing or softening tool so as not to pierce ordamage the hide. The essential rounded,blunt edge of this hide finisher is well worn as is the flat, bottom edge ofthe tool. The sharpness or bluntness ofthe edge on these end scraper tools appears to determine their use as eitherhide scrapers or skin softeners. Thistool was almost certainly used as a finisher or softener. The wear pattern of the shallow, side thumbholes {see my right hand in photo # 7} suggests that this particular bone tool was used more by a right-handedwoman, but it still shows some lesser use in the left hand as well.

Hafted Bone End-Scraper Handle or Knife Handle {See photos # 8-12}

Thesecond bone tool measures about 5.33” (135 mm) long x 1.26” (32 mm) wide. This tool also was made by a member of the InuitNation during the Thule Culture (1200—1700) and is called a hafted, end-scrapper handle or more simply a knife handle.

End scrapers were made of sharpened flintor stone scrapers that were hafted onto short handles that were made of bone orsometimes wood. In fact, a good percentage of stone artifact tool forms wereonce hafted onto handles or spear and arrow shafts. Many examples of hafted end scrapers are knownfrom the Inuit Eskimo and Plains Indian bison hunters. A sturdy handle offersthe tool user better leverage to press against the material being scraped.

End scraper handles were made from severaldifferent materials. Many of the Inuit handles, like this fine example, weremade from bone with the scrapers hafted at the end. And some early Inuit handles were made of fossilizemammoth ivory.

This bone handle has a notched end where asharp piece of stone (such as flint) would have been attached to this handle tomake a knife. On the other end there isa knobbed end that has been carved into the bone to prevent the user’s handfrom slipping off the end. Truly awonderful example of an early Inuit tool with a terrific old patina.

Providence:

Originallyfrom the Norman Thayer collection. He founded the Historical Society in hishome state of Alaska in the 1920s and his collection was sold by Norman Hurst in themid-1980s. They were then in the privatecollection for the past 30 years.

Please examine the attached photos carefully as they are part ofthe description andoffer accordingly.

All photos taken indoors. My hand and the ruler is not part of the sale, just there so you can better judge the size.

Note:

Each object I sell is professionally researchedand compared with similar objects in the collections of the finest museums in the world. I have been dealing in fine antiquities for almost 50 years and although certainly not an expert in every field, I have been honored to appraise, buy, collect, and enjoy and recently sell some of the finest ancient art in the world. When in doubt, I have worked with dozens of subject matter experts to determine the condition and authenticity of numerous antiquities and antiques. This documentation helps to insure you are buying quality items and helps to protect your investment.

I offer a full Money-Back Guarantee if a recognized authority in antiquities disputes the authenticity of these fine artifacts.

The Buy-it-Now price is at least 75% off what it would be priced at in a fine Gallery!!

Please ask any questions you may have before you offer!

All sales are Final, unless I have seriously misrepresented this item!

Please look at the 12 photos carefully as they are part of the description.

Member of the Authentic Artifact Collectors Association (AACA) & the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)

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