Whalebone?

After reading Tuesday's post about Native American pipes & pipe bowls and fossilized bison teeth (all found in the waters near Ocracoke) a reader sent me this photo of items he found in the same areas.

We think these items are whalebone. The bottom artifact appears to be some sort of tool made from whalebone.

In August of last year we published an article about Whale and Porpoise Fishing on the Outer Banks. It is a fascinating story that is not well known.

19th Century Depiction of Cutting Blubber

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is about the 1977 recording of traditional Outer Banks folk music. You can read the article here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news032116.htm.