Lot 1868* ♣ - S17 Out of This World - Tuesday, 28. June 2022, 04.00 PM
OOSIK PENIS BONE CLUB
Odobenus rosmarus
Penisbone of a walrus known as “oosik” (or “oosuk”) in native Alaskan languages.
Bering Sea / Arctic, Alaska
Handpolished in the 19th century
Age of bone: 20'000-40'000 years
53.2 x 7 x 6 cm
Penisbone of a walrus known as “oosik” (or “oosuk”) in native Alaskan languages.
Bering Sea / Arctic, Alaska
Handpolished in the 19th century
Age of bone: 20'000-40'000 years
53.2 x 7 x 6 cm
This object contains material of endangered species and is subject to certain trade restrictions. Prospective buyers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import it into another country.
Provenance: Swiss private collection
Hand polished by Alaska Native peoples, it is difficult to determine the age of these fossil bones. Inuit hunters have found millennias-old oosiks frozen in ice and turned the fossilized bones into utensils. Ososik were occasionally used as clubs for hunting fish and seal, and for the manufacture of handles and harpoon assemblies.
CHF 1 500 / 3 000 | (€ 1 550 / 3 090)
Sold for CHF 1 875 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.