Whale Baleen Basket with Walrus Ivory handle and bottom
-Made in Alaska and signed on bottom by artist Carl Hank
*One of a kind
Size - 3 1/4"W x 4"H
Baleen is a material obtained by Inupiaq and St. Lawrence Islanders from harvested whales, particularly the bowhead. Baleen plates have hair-like structures that filter out tiny floating organisms and fish and are found in the mouth of plankton-eating whales. Baleen was originally used for indigenous objects like water cups, buckets and sleds.
