Fishing harpoon with float

This wooden spear has a caribou-antler point and a seal-bladder float.

According to the accounts we gathered, this object was uncommon in Igloolik, and its exact use remains uncertain. Some say it may have been used to fish from a shoreline. The float, called an avataq, may have helped the user follow the fish once it was harpooned. In Igloolik, a kakivak (trident) is more commonly used to harpoon fish.

Nowadays, this kind of harpoon is no longer used.

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Wooden harpoon with a white bone point, tied together by a leather strap. Another leather strap is joined to a small float in the form of a yellowish inflatable pouch.

Fishing harpoon with float

Dimensions: Lengths handle : 48 cm, overall : 150 cm

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