Indigenous peoples around the world have developed remarkable technologies by using materials from the surrounding environment. These objects demonstrate how Arctic tribal groups make use of whales and seals as sources of food, fuel, and clothing.
Some of these items were donated by Captain Hartson Bodfish, a prominent New England whaler who lived during the late 1800s. Bodfish lived with and worked alongside Indigenous people throughout the Arctic, learning and recording much about their ways of life. These objects serve as a valuable record of their culture.
