Native American, Northwestern United States, Alaska, Beringian / Old Bering Sea Culture, ca. 200 BCE to 500 CE. A thick fishing lure in the form of a miniature fish or seal carved from walrus ivory in a rotund, petaloid shape. The lure has cavities drilled into the top of the head as eyes- which are more reminiscent of a seal than a fish, and underneath is a piercing for a hook or other attachment. The narrow tail end is drilled through to attach to a line and/or a hook. The cultures of the Bering Sea often decorated their hunting and fishing tools with the images of the animals they hunted to honor the spirits and imbue their tools with power, but fishing lures were likely supposed to imitate a tasty bait fish. Size: 5" L x 1.25" W (12.7 cm x 3.2 cm)This is an ESA antique exempt piece of ivory and cannot be sold internationally or to anyone residing in the states of California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. We guarantee that the piece is over 100 years old. Provenance: private Covington, Louisiana, USA collection All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #169865