E0184: Baleen

Ethnographic

---

Identifier:

E0184

Classification Category:

10:Unclassifiable Artifacts ➞ Unmodified

Marks/Labels:

TAG:"Whale bone from the Bowhead. Nome, Alaska."

Materials:

animal ➔ baleen
botanical ➔ fiber

Dimensions:

41 cm L
5 cm W

Provenance of Object:

This object was held in the museum that Luther College started in 1877. This museum eventually grew into the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, and following this, non-Norwegian American ethnographic objects were returned to Luther and accessioned into the college’s Anthropology Collection. Without additional documentation, was likely obtained by the Luther College Museum (later the Norwegian-American Museum) between the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Use/Function:

Baleen is essentially the filtering system of the whale and is very similar to the teeth. The krill is filtered through a large amount of the baleen in order for the whale to ingest. Baleen is used for many tools made by the Inuit.

Source Locality:

Nome, Alaska, USA

Description:

Several strips of baleen, or fibers from a whale's mouth, tired together with a piece of rope.

---