NAVIGATION

Two Arctic Bering Sea Eskimo Inuit Tomcod Fish Hooks of Walrus Ivory in the Form of Swimming Fish 
The hooks fashioned from iron nails the eyes inlaid with brass 
Mid 19th Century

Size: 3.5cm high, 8cm long, 1.5cm deep - 1¼ ins high, 3 ins long, ½ ins deep 
3cm high, 6cm long, 1cm deep - 1¼ ins high, 2¼ ins long, ¼ ins deep 

Eskimos design different kinds of hooks to catch different kinds of fish and these are decorated with the features of small fish to act as lures to attract the tomcod. Fishing forms one of the main sources of food supply among the western Eskimo with the season opening around the end of March or in early April when the Spring tides force their way through cracks in the ice. The tomcod remain in deep water during the Winter, but as Spring approaches they begin to return and holes are made through the ice to catch them by means off a hook and line. During the month of May the fish become abundant, ascending all the tidal creeks to the upper limits. Big catches are made sometimes with dip nets, and the resulting quantities of fresh fish are packed away and frozen in grass bags ready for use in the lean Winter months.