The Inuit
The Aleutian Islanders were great hunters and caught whales, seals and sea otters from their kayaks. The sea otter was important in Aleut mythology as it was thought to give protection to the hunter. This kayak ornament is a row of small whales linked to the head and tail of a sea animal with two sea otters suspended from it.
Kayak ornament. Collected in the Aleutian Islands by Gordon Augustus Thomson c1842.
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