Whaling and Sealing Harpoons of the Labrador Inuit.
The large harpoon on the right dates from the historic period. It is made from two large pieces of whale bone held together with iron rivets. The iron end blade was fashioned by an Inuit from a saw blade or another piece of flat metal. In the upper left is a similar end blade, although it is made from polished slate and dates from the prehistoric period. In the lower left are a sealing harpoon with an iron end blade and a slate end blade from the prehistoric period. The regular hunting of large whales with weapons such as these is one of the traits distinguishing the Inuit of Labrador, as well as their prehistoric ancestors, from the early Palaeo-Eskimo people.
