Canoe Mallet

37-23-26

From: United States of America | Maine | Oldtown

Curatorial Section: American

View All (6) Object Images

Object Number 37-23-26
Current Location Collections Storage
Culture Penobscot
Provenience United States of America | Maine | Oldtown
Culture Area Northeast Culture Area
Date Made ca. 1900
Section American
Materials Wood
Description

Wooden. Head, plano-convex oval with one side flattened; nearly cylindrical grip carved with sockets for fingers and thumb. Used for beating ribs on birch-bark canoes into place. Battered socket on plane face struck the wedge or punch; flattened side facilitated direct used of mallet in pointed ends of canoe. Now rare, if not unique tool.

Length 32.4 cm
Width 11 cm
Thickness 8 cm
Credit Line Gift of Samuel W. Fernberger, 1937

Report problems and issues to digitalmedia@pennmuseum.org.