Baleen Basket by Eunice Hank

(1919 - 1999?)Finely woven baleen basket with double seal finial by Eunice Hank. Signed and accented with white baleen and tightly fitted lid. Eunice Most baleen weavers come from either Point Hope or Barrow, where Bow Head whale hunting has been a tradition since the 1920s when the first baskets were made of this material. Eunice is the matriarch of the famous family of baleen weavers from Point Hope, along with her husband Carl. They taught their children Harry, John and Marilyn how to make baleen baskets. Carl and Eunice Hank made baskets together. They learned to weave at Point Hope but later moved to Barrow. Carl and Eunice’s signature is a double seal finial. They often attributed baskets to each other even if the other made it.