As of 2010, this object consists of a small sinew cable-backed bow.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/250 , retrieved 2-6-2020: Bow Model. Model of a simple bow with sinew backing. More information here: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/item_types/10: The MacFarlane Collection contains accurate models of bows and arrows. Both simple and recurve bows are included. Simple bows curve in an arc from one end to another when they are strung, and recurve bows are constructed so that the centre of the strung bow curves towards the archer then bends away at each end. The recurve bows and several of the simple bows have sinew backing. Models of traditional tools were commonly made by Inuvialuit for trade with Europeans.

FROM CARD: "BOW TOOLS. 1 SPIKE, 2 TIGHTENERS FOUND 1/1981. MFL. INVENTORIED 1981."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/249 , retrieved 1-28-2020: A set of tools for attaching sinew backing to a bow. The set consists of a marlinspike and two sinew twisters made from bone or antler. Each has a drilled hole at one end, and it is likely that at one time these tools had been strung together on a thong. More information here: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/item_types/11: Sinew backing was attached to a bow using a marlinspike and a pair of cable twisters. One end of the marlinspike is tapered, and is used to raise strands of sinew when lashing them to the stave, and for tucking in the ends of the lashings. Cable twisters are turned outwards in opposite directions at each end. They are used in pairs for twisting strands of braided sinew into cables that run along the centre part of the bow stave.

FROM CARD: "INVENTORIED 1976."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/248 , retrieved 1-23-2020: Dance Mitts. A pair of woman's dance mittens. The mitts have no separate thumbs. Tassels made of fur strips that are coloured red on one side are sewn to the back of the hand and at the tops of the fingers. The cuffs are decorated with shorn white and dark bands of skin, and with a red coloured wolverine fur trim. More information here: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/item_types/19: Special clothing is often used today when participating in drum dances. These items that were identified by MacFarlane as dancing mitts show that similar practices were followed in the 1860s.

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/247 , retrieved 2-6-2020: Line made from several strips of hide that have been twisted together. A loop has been fashioned at each end by folding the line back on itself and splicing the strands into the main body of the line. The Smithsonian Institution catalogue card identifies the material used to make this line as moose hide. More information here: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/item_types/40: Lines made from various types of animal skins were used on harpoons, for tying things together, and for a variety of other purposes. Lines up to several metres in length were made cutting a narrow strip in one continuous piece from a single hide. The skins were first scraped to remove the underlying flesh, and the hair was also removed.Listed on page 116 in "The Exhibits of the Smithsonian Institution at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California, 1915", in section "The Spindle".

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/246 , retrieved 1-28-2020: Toggle made from whale bone. It is widest at the mid-point, where a slot for attaching a line has been prepared by first drilling three holes side by side and then joining them by cutting away the excess material. More information here: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/item_types/57: Toggles are a type of handle attached to the end of lines. They were used at the ends of harpoon lines, and on lines used for dragging seals and other heavy items over snow and ice. The also were used to join two lines by passing a toggle attached to one line through a loop on another line.

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/245 , retrieved 1-3-2020: Graver with an iron blade set into a slot at one end of a handle made from antler or bone. The handle has a series of notches cut into one edge to make it easier to grip. More information here: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/item_types/27: Gravers with iron tips held in bone and antler shafts were used for engraving designs on ivory, bone antler and wood.

FROM CARD: "ILLUS. IN PROCEEDINGS, USNM, VOL. 60; PL. 17, NO.7; P.48."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/96 , retrieved 1-8-2020: Saw with an iron blade hafted to a handle made of antler. The blade is rectangular, and has teeth that are only slightly raised along the cutting edge. The blade is attached to the handle by two rivets. One edge of the handle has three wide, shallow notches that provide a secure grip. More information here: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/item_types/49: Saws for cutting wood, bone, antler and ivory had thin metal blades attached to bone handles. Shallow notches in the saw blades were made by striking the edge with the thicker blade of a knife.Listed on page 115 in "The Exhibits of the Smithsonian Institution at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California, 1915", in section "History of the Saw".

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/242 , retrieved 1-14-2020: Identified there as fish lures with stone sinkers, but not further analyzed or described. The website does have general information on fishing tackle here: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/item_types/21: Fishing tackle was used for catching fish in rivers and streams during the open water season, and for jigging through holes chiseled through ice in winter and spring. Fishing tackle in the MacFarlane Collection includes fishing rods (iqaluksiun) with lines (ipiutaq) made from baleen, and bone and antler lures (niksik) with iron hooks. Less commonly, fishhooks were made from wood.

FROM CARD: "CUT IN OUTLINE ON WOOD AND COLORED. 8 WOODEN PLATES."For an extensive article on these plaques, with illustrations, see "Painted wooden plaques from the MacFarlane collection : the earliest Inuvialuit graphic art" by David Morrison, Arctic, v. 59, no. 4, Dec. 2006, p. 351-360.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/241 , retrieved 1-8-2020: Eight wood plaques, possibly cut from packing boxes, each of which has illustrations on both sides. The illustrations are thought to have been prepared by Inuvialuit. They have been created by incising lines into the surfaces of the plaques, and then adding charcoal and red ochre for colour. The scenes depict hunting and fishing, animals (real and imaginary), Inuvialuit camps and several scenes that may be of events at Fort Anderson. For more about these illustrations, see David Morrison, 'Painted Wooden Plaques from the McFarlane Collection: The Earliest Inuvialuit Graphic Art' (2006), in the 'Learn' section of this website.Plaque #1, side A, is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/292: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding a black pigment, probably charcoal. The illustration shows a polar bear and is framed by a rectangle. Plaque #1, side B, is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/293: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. The illustration shows a bowhead whale hunting scene, with five people in an umiaq pursuing a bowhead whale. In the front of the umiaq a standing figure appears about to throw a harpoon towards the whale. The umiaq is being propelled by three seated people, and another figure standing at the back is steering with a steering oar.Plaque #2, side A, is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/294: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. The illustration shows three men in kayaks pursuing a group of seven white whales (belugas). The kayaks appear to have floats on the decks, behind the hunters. One of the men is holding a harpoon, and appears to be in the act of throwing it at one of the whales. Plaque #2, side B, is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/295: Drawing on a wood plaque. This appears to be 'doodling', using ochre to create random lines and shapes.Plaque #3, side A is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/296: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. This drawing shows to people lying in what appear to be bunk beds in a European style structure with a peaked roof. The person in the top bunk appears to be a woman. Next to the bunks is a kettle or pot hung in front of a fireplace, with a chimney extending up the wall and through the roof. Plaque #3, side B is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/297: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. This drawing shows a group of four snow houses, beside which are three upright poles with pelts attached to them. In the foreground are two men in Inuvialuit style parkas . One of the men is holding a knife, and they may be arguing or fighting.Plaque #4, side A is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/298: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. This drawing shows two men in kayaks hunting swimming caribou, probably at a river crossing. One of the hunters has thrust a lance into the side of a caribou, which is bleeding from the mouth or nostrils. Plaque #4, side B is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/299: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. This drawing shows two men in Inuvialuit-style parkas who appear to have weapons in their hands. In the background may be a winter sod house with a tent used for cooking connected to the entrance tunnel. Behind the house is an upright pole with three pelts attached, and a structure that might be a raised stage made from logs used for storage.Plaque #5, side A is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/300: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. This drawing depicts a man in Inuvialuit clothing holding onto an animal that has a body shaped like a dog, antlers like a caribou, and a beak and feet that resemble those of a bird. Plaque #5, side B is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/301: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. The illustration most likely relates to Fort Anderson. It shows three men who are Europeans, judging from their beards and dress, sitting at a table.Plaque #6, side A is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/302: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. In this drawing two people who appear to be inside a dome-shaped snow house are having sex, while a third individual who appears to have a weapon in his hand is spying on them. A dog is shown crouching outside the snow house. Plaque #6, side B is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/303: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. This drawing depicts two people pulling sleds, using lines that pass around their chests. One of the individuals is being aided by a small dog. A pole attached to that sled has what appears to be a raven attached to it.Plaque #7, side A is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/304: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. This drawing shows a seated man and a standing woman. Both are dressed in European clothing, and the drawing likely shows the interior of one of the houses at Fort Anderson, with a table, several household items and a small dog. Plaque #7, side B is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/305: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. This illustration appears to depict two people hunting birds in trees. Both people are wearing parkas. One is aiming an arrow at a bird in a tree, and the other appears to be standing on a branch under a nest with a bird in it high in a second tree. A third bird is also shown, possibly falling to the ground.Plaque #8, side A is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/308: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. The drawing appears to portray a bird with antlers. In front of the bird is a shape that may represent a snare. Roderick MacFarlane, who acquired this item for the Smithsonian Institution, remarked in an article he later wrote on 'Land and Sea Birds Nesting Within the Arctic Circle in the lower Mackenzie River District' that a female golden eagle he collected for the Smithsonian Institution had been 'snared upon her nest'. Plaque #8, side B is described: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/307: Illustration on a wood plaque, created by incising lines into the surface and then adding red and black pigments, probably ochre and charcoal. The illustration depicts a person, most likely a man judging from the shape of the parka, sitting on a stool and fishing through a hole in the ice. In one hand he is holding a fishing rod with a line attached to it, and at the end of the line appears to be a baited fishing lure. A figure that is likely a dog is standing nearby. Below the ice, which is shown by a horizontal line, four fish appear to be attracted to a fish head used as bait. The sizes of the fish and shapes of the fins suggest that they are burbot (upper left), greyling (upper right) and lake trout (lower right), all of which are common to the area and can be caught on hooks. Two of the fish, and the fish head, have spurred lines attached to their heads, suggestive of antlers.