Source of the information below: Inuvialuit Pitqusiit Inuuniarutait: Inuvialuit Living History, The MacFarlane Collection website, by the Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre (ICRC), Inuvik, N.W.T., Canada (website credits here http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/posts/12 ), entry on this artifact http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/227 , retrieved 12-17-2019: Lance holder for the deck of a kayak, made from ivory. It consists of a centre piece shaped to fit against the inverted 'V' shape of the deck of a kayak, with smaller pieces attached at each end with an iron rivets. The faces of the centre and end pieces are cut aslant where they join so that the end pieces extend inwards and upwards at a shallow angle. A piece of babiche connects the inner part of the end pieces to the centre piece by passing through holes drilled in each piece, and then wrapping around itself. A hole drilled through the joints at each end would have been used for mounting the holder to the kayak. The upper surfaces of the centre and end pieces are decorated with a series of engraved circles with a the centre. This circle and dot motif is commonly seen on Alaskan Inupiat artifacts. More information here: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/item_types/33: Holders and rests were lashed to the decks of kayaks forward of the cockpit to keep lances and harpoons secure but ready when needed. Lance holders, such as the one illustrated here, were attached close to the bow. The tip of a lance or harpoon would be inserted into one of the triangular openings, and the opposite end of the shaft would sit against a rest that was fastened to the kayak deck close to the cockpit.
