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Inuit bow and arrows

Bone and skin

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Inuit bow and arrows

The bow is decorated with a small animal figurine, possibly an elk, which is common in the far north of North America. It also has two arrows, with shafts made of wood and ivory points. These objects are from Pelly Bay in Nunavut, Canada.

The Inuit are a group of people who inhabit the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada and the United States. The most common type of Inuit bow is cable-backed, where a cable is twined around the bow for greater strength. This bow may have been manufactured in this way but has since lost its backing, or may just be a simpler type of bow.

Museum object number REDMG : 2010.171.1=3

length 643 mm, width 180 mm, height 26 mm, length 602 mm, length 586 mm

See related topic: World Collection: War and Hunting