Stone Sinkers

Object Details

Collector

Dr. Ales F. Hrdlicka

Donor Name

Dr. Ales F. Hrdlicka

This object is on loan to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, from 2010 through 2027. 2 of 23 sinkers on loan (#1 and #2)

From card: "Encircling groove near end; some used as hammers."

Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entries on two artifacts with this number http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=498, http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=497, and retrieved 5-15-2014: Sinkers, Unangax^ (Aleut), length 13 cm. and 15 cm. These stone fishing sinkers comes from an archaeological site on Umnak Island. They have a groove for tying on a fishing line, which was traditionally made from kelp seaweed. Stone fishing sinkers were made from beach cobbles. A line groove was pecked around the sinker by hitting it with a hard, pointed rock. From Elders' discussions of the sinkers in 2003 (see web page cited above for the full entries) with Mary N. Bourdukofsky, Vlass Shabolin, Maria Turnpaugh and Daria Dirks (Tanadgusix Foundation) at the National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of the American Indian, 4/07/2003-4/11/2003. Also participating: Aron Crowell and Bill Fitzhugh (NMNH) and Suzi Jones (AMHA). "For halibut, you're going to have to use a big weight in order to hold it right there. And actually, your sinker may go in-between rocks and get locked on the bottom, so when you go back the next day to get your halibut skates, you come from the opposite [direction]; if today the water's drifting north, and then you have to come in from the south to get it loose." - Vlass Shabolin. "You have to put it [halibut hook] down and you have the weights on it, big weights." - Mary Bourdukofsky.

Record Last Modified

20 Jan 2023

Specimen Count

23

Culture

Prehistoric Aleut (Unangax^ ; Unangan; Unangas)

Accession Date

21 Dec 1938

Accession Number

149653

USNM Number

A395768-0

Object Type

Sinker

Place

Umnak Island, Umnak Quad / Unalaska Quad / Samalga Island Quad / Aleutian Islands / Fox Islands, Alaska, United States, North America

See more items in

Anthropology

NMNH - Anthropology Dept.

Topic

Archaeology

Record ID

nmnhanthropology_8142042

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3428524b9-aca3-449e-97c5-3462273f83a3