In MemoriamThis 19th century weapon was made with shark’s teeth, fashioned by the people
In MemoriamThis 19th century weapon was made with shark’s teeth, fashioned by the people of the Gilbertese Islands in the Central Pacific Ocean. Other Gilbertese shark tooth weapons included clubs, daggers, knives, lances, spears, swords, and other ‘unclassifiable’ types. Such artifacts provide a window to a region’s ecological past. For example, the tooth shown in close-up above is of the dusky shark (Charcharinus obscurus)—a species no longer present in the waters surrounding the Gilbert Islands. This could suggest the local extirpation of C. obscurus from the Islands, possibly due to over-exploitation, considering the value of sharks in Gilbertese culture and the species’ commercial importance.In places where no written or photographic records exist, relics such as these weapons are the only clues to inferring the ecological history of a region…and how us humans have changed it. Images source: Drew et al. 2013.Reference: Drew et al. 2013. -- source link
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