Arctic shores, ca. 5000 years ago, modified sometime in the 19th or 20th century CE by Native Alaskan Inuit people. A large, polished walrus baculum. The walrus is an iconic Arctic animal, and they are famous for having the largest baculum - known to native peoples in the Arctic as an "oosik" - of all land animals. This example is a mottled brown-cream color with evidence of ossification along the interior cavity. The baculum is a bone found in the penis of many placental mammals, including some primates, which aids in maintaining stiffness during sexual reproduction. Fossilized bacula, which can be as long as 2' (60 cm), are, like this example, often polished and used as clubs by native Alaskan cultures - these are taken from sea lions, seals, polar bears, and, like this one, walruses. Size: 19.25" L x 1.4" W x 1.75" H (48.9 cm x 3.6 cm x 4.4 cm)

Please note this item falls under the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act and is not eligible for international shipping. Native American, Alaska Native, & Native Hawaiian objects are only eligible to ship within the United States.

Provenance: private Boca Raton, Florida, USA collection

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#179700

Minor abrasions and nicks commensurate with age and use, with chips to both ends, and some areas of roughness, otherwise intact and excellent. Great fossilization colors.