- [<] Status Log - created:: 2023-05-03 - status-updated:: - status:: seedling - type:: thoughts article review overview - [S] Marketing - purpose:: - desc:: - connections: - [[2021-11-22 Bones]] - [[2023-05-08 The Intricacies of Ivory (DRAFT)]]. #articleseed/afterword I'm working on a short story about some [[2021-11-15 Islanders]] who use whale materials a lot in their culture, so I needed to learn more about whales — beyond what I turned up about whale oil in the [[2021-03-22 Boating]] issue of this newsletter, & whale skin when I was researching meat-based diets for [[2021-06-07 Scurvy]], & whaling for [[2021-10-25 Maritime Disasters]] & boats made out of . - Arctic kayaks were often made out of driftwood and/or whalebone. - Most of the spindle whorls found on Vancouver Island were made of whale bone. Baleen is the comb-like keratin-based structure that blue whales and humpbacks use to filter plankton. Before plastics, it was popular because when soaked in hot water it becomes [flexible enough to be bent, and it retains its shape when cooled](https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Baleen). Baleen comes in a variety of colors (black, grey, green, cream) and was popular for making baskets, corsets, tea trays, and sword handles.