124-A1-7

Displaying 1 - 13 of 13
Catalog # Name Description
1 1986.43.641 Ulu Hand Blade Ulu is a hand blade traditionally used by indigenous women of the subarctic. It consists of a handle and a semicircular crescent blade. The multi-purpose knife is considered to be one of the most significant tools of the Inuit woman and a symbol of her role in the culture of the circumpolar world. As a young girl, she would be given a small ulu, made by a male member of her family, with which to practice her skills as a seamstress. The ulu would be taken with her in marriage and laid to rest with her in death. A woman often had more than one ulu and chose the size suitable for the task at hand. Model ulus were also created to be used as toys or offered as grave gifts to the departed spirit of the deceased. Ulus were used for cleaning, the preparation and cutting of skins, butchering meat, and cleaning and slicing fish for drying. Inuit women also used the ulu when eating. It was used for chopping the blubber and transferring it to the oil lamp. It was employed in every kind of cutting job from butchering to fine sewing. 1986.43.641 (Ulu Hand Blade) image
2 1989.43.114 Bead Trade; Cornaline d'Aleppo. Red over green; 8 beads on a string.. Color: RD,GR 1989.43.114 (Bead) image
3 1989.43.115 Beads Trade; Small beads on a clear string. The beads colors are beginning to wear off. The string is tied in a knot. Twelve red over white Cornaline d’Alleppo beads melted together. Three are white and two are red over green. They were probably melted during a cremation. Beads were often made from ivory or bone, and were usually used on amulets or as decoration on clothing. Later, glass beads were introduced to and adopted by the Inuit tribes in the 1700’s. Beads are considered to be an important aspect of Inuit visual culture. Because of how small they are, they can sewn onto articles of clothing in ways that represent familial beliefs. Some of these designs and patterns may have correlated with tattoos. Carnelian Venetian beads. Items in the accession were given to UNI after the death of donor's wife. Most were originally collected by donor’s father-in-law who died in 1954. 1989.43.115 (Beads) image
4 1989.43.116 Bead Trade; Cornaline d'Alleppo. 5 beads, melted together. Three white and two red over green. Color: RD,WH,GR 1989.43.116 (Bead) image
5 1989.43.118 Bead Trade; Wound bead.. Color: BL 1989.43.118 (Bead) image
6 1989.43.55 Breastplate Breastplate segment; runner section; has four holes through it.
7 1989.43.641 Ulu Ulu is a hand blade traditionally used by indigenous women of the subarctic. It consists of a handle and semicircular crescent blade. The multi-purpose knife is considered to be one of the most significant tools of the Inuit woman, and a symbol of her role in the culture of the circumpolar world. As a young girl, she would be given a small ulu, made by a male member of her family, with which to practice her skills as a seamstress. The ulu would be taken with her in marriage, and laid to rest with her in death. A woman often had more than one ulu, and chose the size suitable for the task at hand. Model ulus were also created to be used as toys, or offered as grave gifts to the departed spirit of the deceased. Ulus were used for cleaning, the preparation and cutting of skins, butchering meat, cleaning and slicing fish for drying. Inuit women also used the ulu when eating. It was used for chopping the blubber and transferring it to the oil lamp. It was employed in every kind of cutting job from butchering to fine sewing. 1989.43.641 (Ulu) image
8 1991.47.4 Mask Mask of half-man and half-animal, from Nunivak Island. This mask has a "face" with 2 painted circles for eyes (not cut out) and 2 for the mouth. Half of the face is painted deep reddish brown and has black markings; it represents a human. The other half is mostly painted white except for a gash for a mouth and black "whiskers"; it represents a wolf. Two circles of wood surround the face. Circles within the Yup'ik tribe represented the universe. To the outside of these circles are attached 12 quills, each holding a wooden feather or fish. They represent (top to bottom): pin-tail duck, wings, front seal flippers, salmon, duck feet, back seal flippers and tail-feathers of the bird. This mask's intended purpose was for decoration, but created in the style and tradition of Yup'ik mask making. Traditionally, Yup'ik masks were created by shamans, or angalkut, to be worn during dances to bring prosperity to the tribe.The animal represented by the masks were intended to bring a surplus of that particular animal. Masks similar to this were made smaller with the intention of wearing one on the forehead.
9 2006.9.14 Fragment Very rough-shaped oblong wood piece; a notched portion juts out and widens the fragment. A large 1/2-in wide depression has been whittled into the middle of the fragment. The depression shows similarities to tools used for starting fires.
10 2006.9.31 breastplate piece is long and narrow. One side of the piece is slightly convex and both sides are smooth. Pairs of slits are on either end, as well as a pair in the middle of the piece. There are slight nicks on the convex sides. Color: BR 2006.9.31 (breastplate) image
11 2006.9.32 sleigh Excellently crafted. Underside of piece is shaped flat and smooth. The upperside is slightly rounded and shaped flat. Each edge is smoothed and uniform in width. A smooth hole lies on either end of the piece; a third hole is in the center of the piece. Color: BR
12 2006.9.33 sleigh underside of piece is shaped flat and smooth. The upperside is slightly rounded and polished smooth. Two holes are cut through the piece near one end. All edges are smooth, except for one end; that end appears broken off and is rough. Color: TN 2006.9.33 (sleigh) image
13 2006.9.9 Gold a clear cylindircal vial containing a small amount of tiny gold flakes. The top of the vial is covered with cream-colored tape. On the tape are the words "panned in Nome Alaska" 2006.9.9 (Gold) image