Baleen Boat with Two Sails
Siberian Yup'ik
baleen
6” tall x 10” long x 1.5” wide
Baleen is a material that comes from a variety of whales including bowhead, blue, and humpback, to name a few. The material functions as a filter-feeding system inside the mouths of baleen whales as its keratin composition (also found in our hair, skin, and fingernails) gives baleen a bristle-like texture, ideal for catching small crustaceans and fish. Imagine this: the whale opens its mouth underwater, taking in water and small sea creatures like krill and shrimp. The whale then pushes the water out and the bristles trap the nutritious goods in. The sheer size of a whale’s mouth allows much small sea life to be trapped for consumption. Therefore, the baleen must be just as large and can sometimes be up to twelve feet in length.
Baleen that comes from the Alaskan arctic is primarily from the bowhead whale and simply washes up onto the shore. Traditionally the Yup’ik have hunted bowhead whales for thousands of years as a crucial food source necessary for the survival of their communities. When European whaling ships arrived in the 1700s, commercial whale hunting practices inevitably drove bowheads to near extinction in the late 1800s. This prompted a government mandated ban on whale hunting. Sadly, this negatively impacted Inuit communities and their traditional ways.
Baleen in Inuit culture and art
Stiff and sturdy yet also flexible and stringy once peeled, baleen was traditionally used for a variety of purposes. Baleen strings, for example, were used to tie a harpoon and its point together. The strings also functioned well as fishing lines, snares, and could be woven into fish weirs. In the early 1900’s The Alaskan Yup’ik started using baleen to create unique figures as art forms for the newly developed tourist market, and the Iñupiaq in Alaska began the practice of weaving beautiful intricate baskets (aguummaq) out of baleen strings.
In Indigenous arctic art, baleen is used as both medium and subject. Some sculptural works include small pieces for inlaid detailing, such as for eyes, and sometimes small implements like knives or harpoons would be crafted out of the material. Solid pieces of baleen can be polished and carved into boats, jewelry, or other ornaments. Contemporary artists have found unique and creative new uses for the material in their work.
