1884.98.47

Collection type

Object

Description

Ivory drill bow, carved with hunting scenes

Geographical reference

United States of America

Northern America > North America > United States of America

Western USA Alaska Icy Cape Point Barrow

Cultural groups

Western Inuit

Person

Maker Unknown Maker

Field collector Robert Dunn

PRM source Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers founding collection

Date / Period

Date made: Before 1874

Date collected

1826?

Acquisition information

Donated: 1884

Materials and processes

Material Walrus Ivory Tooth Animal, Process Carved

Dimensions

Length: max 377 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 1884.98.47 PR Cat other PR nos: 2794

Research and responses

In Primitive Warfare II (read Friday June 5th 1868) Pitt-Rivers describes 2 hafted projectile points collected 'from the Esquimaux, between Icy Cape and Point Barrow' which he purchased from someone who had 'bought them himself from that locality'. He illustrated these 2 objects on Plate XVIII (numbers 163 and 164), to show 'the mode of fixing [arrow-heads and spear-heads] in their shafts' (p. 419). Presumably this object is part of the material obtained from Alaska in this purchase. Pitt-Rivers' source may have been Beechey, or someone who travelled with him (cf. 1886.1.787) [Dan Hicks 20/09/2012]

Associated publications

Bockstoce, 1977: 86 'Belcher collection. Museum No PR 2794. Length 37.7 cm, walrus ivory. According to the PRM Catalogue, collected between Icy Cape and Point Barrow (Fig 66 a-d). Side A of this bow drill shows, from the left, several unidentified objects, then two wrestlers, an unidentified object, a dancer or mythological creature, three caribou, two unidentified objects, two wrestlers or dogs, an umiak and possibly three dogs, an unidentified object, two walruses two men and two mythological creatures and one man. Side B has some unidentified objects at the left followed by a scene of an umiak and a harpooned whale. These are followed by two wrestlers and then a number of dancer or possibly a mythological scene. Then there is an umiak and paddlers [?paddles] and several caribou being attacked by hunters followed by five human figures. Side C depicts a number of figures of men and dogs near a hill or house, two unidentified figures two umiaks and harpooned whales and some unidentified figures then several figures of men and caribou an unidentified object and probably a beluga. Side D is primarily composed of swimming caribou and men in kayaks spearing them. There is also the figure of a whale. The British Museum's Belcher collection also contains two drill bows. [AP Leverhulme project on founding collection 1995-1998]Lane Fox. A.H. 1868. Primitive Warfare II. Journal of the Royal United Services Institution 12 (1868): 399-439. [Dan Hicks 20/09/2012]

Search terms: Tool, Fire, Figure, Bow Drill, Animal Figure