Halibut fish hook

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Halibut fish hook, early 19th century
North America, British Columbia, Tlingit people
Wood with bone barb

Donor unrecorded
Museum number 1979-90

Pacific halibut can grow to an enormous size. This hook could catch a 30-50 pound fish. It is decorated with a raven, which according to Tlingit legend, brought water and fish and discovered mankind in a clamshell.