An Inuit Kakivak tip

A kakivak is a leister used by Inuit for spear fishing and fishing at short range. It is comparable to a harpoon or a trident in function and shape. The kakivak is notable for its tip's design, which has three prongs, the outer which have their own teeth which point at the centre prong.[1] The teeth are to hold the meat on to the main blade to stop it from falling.[2]

Usage of the kakivak was apparently not restricted to Inuit, as copies were also utilized by Norse settlers.[3]

Construction

The kakivak is made of ivory, bone, or antler for the spear, and driftwood, sticks, or rock for the handle.[4][5]

A tip of a Kakivak from the Inuinnait culture

References

  1. ^ "fish-spear". Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  2. ^ "The tools of our survival". www.avataq.qc.ca/. Avataq Cultural Institute. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  3. ^ William W. Fitzhugh. "Cultures, Borders, and Basques: Archaeological Surveys on Quebec's Lower North Shore" (PDF). Smithstonian Institute Repository. p. 6. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Season 1". www.aptn.ca. Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  5. ^ Rowley, Graham (2007). Cold Comfort: My Love Affair With The Arctic (Second ed.). Montreal: McGill–Queen's University Press. pp. 134, 300. ISBN 9780773530058.
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