Tlingit Spear

In the post before I talked about who the Tlingit people are and I explained what their culture is like. The food that was consumed most was fish, so let us learn about how they used to fish. The Tlingit people used the spear mostly for fishing in shallow waters were the fish could be visible. The spear was made from young fir or spruce. It almost always had a neatly rounded shaft that was 10 to 15 feet in length and the largest diameter was 1/4 inch to 1/2 inches at the fore end of the spear this would give the spear perfect balance. To strengthen the end of the spear it was wrapped with sinew, hide or spruce roots. The end was hallowed so that the butt of the barbed head (kut) could fit, the "kut" was commonly made out of bear bone. The head of the spear was made out of walrus ivory or copper, the length of the spear head varied from 3 to 8 inches with a 1/4 inch thickness. The head of the spear was attached to the shaft by sinew or hide. Although I have never seen this spear, I think this is a vital piece to the culture of the Tlingit people.