Harpoon head with depictions of seals,

400–800 CE

Art of the Hunt

Arctic carvers adorned their hunting gear in order to endow it with the spiritual prowess of great predators. Harpoons used for hunting seals and walrus, for example, frequently feature the polar bear, with the rear counterweight symbolizing the vertebra at the nape of the polar bear’s long neck and the socket piece, near the front end, suggesting the bear’s head. Counterweights can simultaneously represent birds, likely raptors or other keen hunters. Conversely, harpoon heads might resemble teeth or talons or depict prey, a visual means of asking the soul of the animal to give its flesh to the hunter. Among the remarkable engineering achievements of Arctic carvers, the harpoon heads were designed to penetrate thick hide and then toggle, fastening the prey firmly to an attached line and float—allowing the hunter to track and tire the mammal from a safe distance.